Why?

So I read an article today about a zoo in Copenhagen. The zoo killed a 2 year giraffe, because of concerns about inbreeding. According to the article, whatever birth control methods can be used on giraffes can also cause damage to their internal organs. The article goes on to say that several other zoos in Europe were willing to take this giraffe, but those offers were declined. There was also an offer from the private sector to pay the zoo $68,000.00 to give the giraffe a home elsewhere. That too was declined. The reasons stated in the article for declining these offers was that the zoo was worried about the conditions that the giraffe would be living in at some other place. So, this morning, the zoo killed a young healthy giraffe with a bolt gun. I'm not sure what that is, but it doesn't sound pleasant. The zoo then decided to allow visitors, including children, watch as the zoo skinned the giraffe, and fed it to the lions. Now, I know that lions eat giraffes in the wild. I'm a meat eater, so I understand that animals get killed every day for food. I don't like those facts, but I can't deny them. I guess what really bothers me in this case, is that there was no real reason for the giraffe to die. The lions would not have starved if the giraffe wasn't fed to them. There were places that would have taken the giraffe and allowed it to live. Why kill it? Allowing children to see the giraffe being skinned and then fed to the lions, I don't know. As a kid, even as an adult, I don't want to see that. Would viewing that make the children more sensitive or less sensitive to the fact that animals are living creatures? I don't know. But this story bothered me. A lot. Now I need to go give my Bug some extra cuddles.