Something big is coming. So big, in fact, that it's not quite finished yet. Which is a shame, because tomorrow morning at 11am Robert is going to drop a bombshell that might prove everything my radio play claims. And because that's the case, I've decided to give you a little taster today.
If we want to preserve the species, then we have to breed a non-viable reserve population, because we have irretrievably destroyed their habitats. And if, by some miracle, the habitats are restored in a hundred years' time, then we need the reserve population to release the animals into the wild. Breeding always results in surplus animals, just like in nature. The animals whose lives are of the least value to us humans could be looked after by sanctuaries. Could, if we let them. But in nature, there is also natural selection. Two sanctuaries agreed to take on our baboons, the living conditions there would be so much better than the dreary reinforced concrete enclosure at Nuremberg Zoo. We had to bully them with our demands and questionnaires until they finally gave up. They can never fulfil our requirements in a lifetime, because death is the best thing for the animals. And death by gunshot to the head is the most humane way to die. That's why we forced the baboons one by one into a dark box in the middle of the night and shot them. To ensure the survival of mankind, we have to kill animals.
(Zoo director Dr Dag Encke Nuremberg in the 21st century)
Nuremberg. Zoo director Encke plays God. Death is the best thing for the baboons, he claims . Death is better than Vantara in India and better than the GAP in Wales. That's why they continue to breed in order to shoot these re-bred animals too. I can't help it, the cynicism is not mine. He really did say that. A ramble through the media coverage.
"We were expecting a lot more protest. It will therefore become standard practice for us and other zoos across Europe to use the removal of animals by shooting as a sensible method of population management in primate breeding."
This is how Nuremberg Zoo justifies the shooting of the first twelve Guinea baboons. Moreover, the animals are used to their family and friends being eaten by predators in the wild. They don't know anything like grief. There were no signs of this.
So, apart from the fact that the baboons bred as part of the European breeding programme have never seen the wild... it's pretty presumptuous to deny primates feelings like fear, anxiety and sadness. And it's simply wrong. It has long been scientifically proven and recognised by experts that baboons do feel such emotions.
Research shows that wild baboons show significant hormonal stress responses after the loss of close social partners, comparable to grief in humans. In particular, it has been observed that female baboons increase their stress hormone levels after the death of a close social partner and specifically seek new social bonds to restore emotional balance. This physiological and behavioural evidence is regarded by experts as proof of emotional experiences such as anxiety, fear and grief in baboons1 Baboons in Mourning Seek Comfort Among Friends 🌐 https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/baboons-mourning-seek-comfort-among-friends 2 Behavioural and hormonal responses to predation in ... 🌐 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1560071/ 3 The expression of grief in monkeys, apes, and other animals 🌐 https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/politics-of-species/expression-of-grief-in-monkeys-apes-and-other-animals/358FFD034BD55AD872D3ACDF98099150
The article "Space shortage: Nuremberg Zoo wants to kill baboons" from the BR Abendschau broadcast on 11 February 2024 reports on the problem of overcrowding among the Guinea baboons at Nuremberg Zoo. The consequences of this crowding are increased bloody fights and considerable stress in the group4Lack of space: Nuremberg Zoo wants to kill baboons | Abendschau | BR24 🌐 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8CQ-dNANm8 .
At Nuremberg Institute of Technology, Dr Dag Encke, Director of Nuremberg Zoo, recently gave an extensive lecture entitled "How do you protect that? Keeping saves species | Sustainability lecture series" on nature conservation, biodiversity and the role of modern zoos in species protection. No kidding, I devoured the whole lecture with great interest.
Dr Encke makes it clear that "nature conservation" always takes place in areas shaped and limited by humans - there is no such thing as human-free "nature". Effective protection and conservation of biodiversity is therefore only possible through sustainable utilisation and the acceptance of human influence. He emphasises that climate change is fundamentally changing concepts of protection and conservation: instead of pure conservation, active, interventionist measures are now needed to safeguard animal and plant diversity.
Using the example of various animal species (Prince Alfred deer, Californian porpoise, bearded vulture, Przewalski's horse, Somali wild ass and others), Encke explains the interplay between protected areas, breeding programmes, demographic development and the concept of reserve populations. Zoos - as globally networked institutions - are nowadays a central component in the establishment of such reserve populations ("ex-situ species protection"), as also stipulated by international agreements and laws.
The focus is always on population management: populations must be maintained in the long term so that breeding groups remain genetically stable and a return to the wild is possible at some point. This inevitably leads to an overpopulation of animals, the more limited the available enclosures are. This becomes particularly tricky when animals are deliberately killed for this reason - as was recently the case with the baboons in Nuremberg. Encke justifies this approach as ethically difficult, but as a necessary option in the context of a long-term ethic of responsibility and accountability in modern zoo management in order to preserve social structures in animal groups and protect population lines.
The lecture also touches on the social and emotional dilemmas in dealing with zoo animals, questions of animal suffering, acceptance of the killing of "surplus" animals and the need for evidence-based decisions. Encke argues in favour of an open discourse, guided by research and ethics, on our responsibility and scope for action in species and nature conservation: zoos are therefore indispensable partners in the conservation of endangered species for the next 100 years - but always in a field of tension between biology, ethics, law and social pressure5How to protect it? Attitude saves species | Lecture series on sustainability (Nuremberg Tech) 🌐 https://youtu.be/W2qgR7vrJz4 .
I take the liberty of leaving a comment on YouTube.
"Fascinating presentation, which unfortunately completely ignores an alternative to shooting surplus animals: handing them over to sanctuaries.
And also the question of whether, after three or four generations of breeding, there is still a viable animal species at all612 Monkeys: The baboons from Nuremberg Zoo (Team Animal Welfare) 🌐 https://youtu.be/XtIZbqdUC_s - or whether these animals are not sad copies of an extinct species that no longer know anything about life and whose habitats will never exist again - this question remains unanswered.
Nevertheless, very worth seeing overall."
But let's start from the beginning. Several activistsand representativesVarious animal welfare groups (including Animal Rebellion, Vegan Vernetzt and Vegan Bullerbyn) have been working on the killing plans since February 2024. Various campaigns and alliances were formed. At the time, Vegan Vernetzt was actually "just" a website that wanted to bring together all events from the animal welfare bubble in the Nuremberg region on one platform. It was always unclear whether and when the killing would actually take place712 Monkeys: The baboons from Nuremberg Zoo (Team Animal Welfare) 🌐 https://youtu.be/XtIZbqdUC_s .
In February, public protests and calls from animal welfare groups to find humane and ethically justifiable alternatives instead followed the announcement of the killing plans. 8Update Nuremberg Zoo: Baboons to be killed (Franken Fernsehen) 🌐 https://youtu.be/OT7zAGXx7pw .
The zoo had already enlarged the enclosure in the past, but even that was not enough for the animals to get out of each other's way sufficiently9Lack of space: Nuremberg Zoo wants to kill baboons | Abendschau | BR24 🌐 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8CQ-dNANm8 .
On 22 July 2025, another protest action was held by animal rights activistsof the group Animal Rebellion took place. Several activistsinside climb onto statues at the main entrance to the zoo and chain themselves to them10 Nuremberg: Renewed animal welfare protest at the zoo (WOTSCH) 🌐 https://youtu.be/mzkd-RycnNo . Two activists dressed up as a baboon and as Dr Encke (with a toy gun) to draw attention to the planned killings11Another protest at Nuremberg Zoo: activists chain themselves to the zoo entrance (NEWS5) 🌐 https://youtu.be/SCssv_cY2qg . An eye-catching banner with the inscription "Encke, let the monkeys live" is aimed directly at the zoo director Dr Dag Encke and his decision-making practice in dealing with the baboons12 Nuremberg: Renewed animal welfare protest at the zoo (WOTSCH) 🌐 https://youtu.be/mzkd-RycnNo .
In the interview, the activistsThey are calling for all baboons to be handed over to a sanctuary instead of being shot in the head. They accuse the zoo of deliberately not accepting places offered - for example at the sanctuary in Wales - even though they would be willing to take them in as soon as a quarantine place is available. From the activists' point of viewThe zoo is looking for excuses instead of solutions; in their view, responsibility and options for action clearly lie with the zoo.
Criticism of the form of protest was also addressed: The group emphasised that the protest was peaceful and non-violent and that the concern - the lives of the baboons - was clearly at the centre of attention13Another protest at Nuremberg Zoo: activists chain themselves to the zoo entrance (NEWS5) 🌐 https://youtu.be/SCssv_cY2qg .
The protesters publicly criticised the zoo for sticking to the planned killing despite protests and alternative offers and called for a fundamental rethink in wildlife management - in this case explicitly for monkeys. Two days earlier, a similar protest action had already taken place directly at the pavilion enclosure, after which the zoo management had banned the activists involved from the zoo.
Dr Encke commented on the protests and emphasised that peaceful protest was legitimate, as long as no visitors or the zoo itself were harmed in the process14 Nuremberg: Renewed animal welfare protest at the zoo (WOTSCH) 🌐 https://youtu.be/mzkd-RycnNo .
In the video "Music Video: Affentötung im Tiergarten Nürnberg" by Save the Ocean, the scandal surrounding the killing of twelve Guinea baboons at Nuremberg Zoo in July 2025 is processed in the form of a music video. Accompanied by critical Rammstein-style lyrics, the video is a pointed and emotional indictment of the incident: it emphasises that the killing of the baboons due to a lack of space or alleged lack of placement options was met with massive criticism from animal welfare organisations and activists.
The music and lyrics describe the events as a scandal and accuse the zoo management (in particular Dr Dag Encke, who - and I clearly distance myself from this description - is called a murderer) of a cover-up, a lack of compassion and a fundamental failure in dealing with animals. The issue of the killing of baboons as food for predators in the zoo is also addressed.
The music video calls for a fundamental rethink of the zoo system, criticises breeding policies, transparency deficits and the economic primacy over animal welfare. The conclusion is clear: the killing of the baboons was avoidable and is symptomatic of a systemic crisis in the current treatment of wild animals15Music video: Killing of monkeys in Nuremberg Zoo (Save the Ocean) 🌐 https://youtu.be/0X52yTT5Y6Q .
On 26 July 2025, a demonstration organised by VeganVernetzt.de took place in Nuremberg city centre against the planned killing of Guinea baboons at Nuremberg Zoo. Around 300 committed people protested under the motto of the campaign against baboon killing. I was reliably represented by my dear parents. I reported about it.
The event clearly and unequivocally demanded: "Stop the killing - now!" The participants criticised the zoo system, which breeds, exhibits and discards animals as soon as they no longer fit the concept.
The demonstration was given particular weight by the speeches of Dr Colin Goldner (Great Ape Project) and the well-known criminal biologist Dr Mark Benecke. Both spoke out strongly against the planned killing and against the zoo as an institution. They emphasised the ethical indefensibility of the acts and referred to a fundamental claim to power by humans over other living beings16Stop the killing of baboons at Nuremberg Zoo - online petition 🌐 https://www.openpetition.de/petition/online/stoppt-die-toetung-der-paviane-im-tiergarten-nuernberg .
Dr Mark Benecke @markito_benecke (criminal biologist and author) and Dr Colin Goldner (Great Ape Project), few people have contributed so much to nature and species conservation on this planet and have such in-depth expertise. I hold them both in high esteem.
If you are not familiar with Mark's lecture series "Time is up!", I would definitely recommend it to you. All lectures are available on YouTube without a paywall, i.e. free of charge. Mark manages to let the figures and data speak for themselves and to present every topic, from the climate crisis to species conservation, in an exciting and fascinating way. Anyone who doesn't believe Mark's lectures probably also believes that the earth is a disc.
I recently commented on one of his lectures: Time was up https://paddys.de/time-was-up/
And speaking of talks, you can find the recording of Mark's interview talk at the demo in Nuremberg on his YouTube channel. You can find it here: Monkey killings at Nuremberg Zoo 🙊 https://youtu.be/NUWUGZmfB3U
Unfortunately, I can't find a video of Colin's appearance, but he plays a very important role in the baboon murder case in Nuremberg. The Great Ape Project (GAP) in Wales, under the direction of the renowned animal rights activist and primatologist Dr Colin Goldner, has been campaigning for years for the liberation, admission and lifelong careful care of formerly captive great apes and other ape species17Great Ape Project - GAP UK 🌐 https://www.greatapeproject.org.uk/about/ .
A genuine sanctuary like the GAP would be a particularly ethical and species-appropriate alternative, especially for "surplus" Guinea baboons that no longer have any prospects in European zoos such as Nuremberg. In a real sanctuary, the baboons would have virtually no human contact, would no longer be put on display and would simply be allowed to enjoy their twilight years as gracefully as possible in captivity.
And that is exactly what the zoo does not grant them. It sees the baboons as its property, which it needs to breed young animals that will attract public attention. Because a sanctuary naturally does not take part in breeding programmes, the zoo stonewalls like a small child whose toy is about to be taken away.
Dag Encke, the zoo director, says that he would rather shoot the animals than give them away without a breeding option.
Well then. Idiot...
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