LONDON: A German zoo director and three staff members found guilty of cruelty after they killed three newborn tiger cubs had their earlier court decision upheld on Monday. Zoo Director Kai Perret had the cubs culled after it was discovered that the male father was not purebread and that the baby tigers were hybrids. He said it was part of a program to protect the world stock of Siberian tigers. As soon as they were born, the baby cubs were killed via injection in May 2008. After the incident, animal rights organizations in Germany alerted police to what happened. Perret, a veterinarian and two senior keepers were found to have violated animal rights laws and were put on probation in a July court ruling – meaning a fine will be due if they commit any crime in the next two years. The court, in the city of Magdeburg, on Monday said their appeal was groundless, and upheld the July ruling. Germany has enshrined animal protection as a fundamental purpose of the state in its constitution. German animal rights activist Petr Neuman told Bikya Masr that the killing of animals in a zoo should “get a much harsher crime than simply probation. What about the justice for the mother, who most certainly became depressed after her cubs were taken away immediately after birth.” He said that while “the court at least penalized the zoo, Germany should do much more to protect its animals in captivity.” BM
