"It's no secret in any way, and we do not try to hide that we're working this way," so said Bo Kjellson, chief executive of Boras Djurpark, when discussing the park's decision to put down nine healthy lion cubs over the last five years.

Kjellson explained that the decision was based on two factors – the cubs' integration among the pride and the fact the park struggled to re-home the young animals.

Speaking to SVT, he explained: "At that time we had tried to sell or relocate them to other zoos for a long time but unfortunately there were no zoos that could receive them."

"When the aggressions became too big in the group we had to remove some animals. And then it had to be them."

 

Att Borås djurpark regelbundet avlivar fullt friska lejonungar har gjort många upprörda. De senaste sex åren har nio lejonungar avlivats eftersom de betraktats som ”överskottsdjur”. Djurparkens vd Bo Kjellson berättar om varför. Läs mer på dn.se

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Looking to the future, Kjellson admitted that the fate of the other lions was yet to be determined.

"Currently, the group works well, but some of them may become surplus animals, and then we will try to place them elsewhere," he said before adding: "It could be so that we have to put them to death."

Boras Djurpark, is located approximately 25 miles from Gothenberg.