GUNS N' ROSES frontman Axl Rose has followed up a series of teets regarding the recent killing of a two-year-old giraffe at the Copenhagen Zoo with an open letter on the subject. The operators of the Copenhagen Zoo killed a healthy giraffe and fed its remains to the zoo's lions. Rose first tweeted a joke, writing, "Just enjoying the lion's share of some tasty baby Giraffica sliders! Mmmmm! What'll them crazy Danes think of next!" But then Rose got serious, writing, "Let me get this straight . . . the Danes killed a two-year-old baby giraffe, chopped him up and fed him to the lions allegedly in front of kids to avoid inbreeding, rather than find a place for it. Maybe this is a big problem over there, I don't know, but I'm not getting how this deters siblings and various other Danish family members from fucking each other." Earlier today (Monday, February 17), Rose released the following open letter entitled "Marius": "Over the past week, I've put out a few intentionally sarcastic tweets in response to the killing of the 18-month-old baby male giraffe named Marius by the Copenhagen Zoo in Denmark. And in that regard I think that without more information or a better understanding of not just how this particular breeding program works or why it's believed to be necessary and seemingly without room for exception or public opinion... to the average person it would seem that... 1.) Marius could have been spared and was a waste of a healthy young animal's life. 2.) The manner in which he was if not euthanized then disposed of seemed particularly barbaric, unnecessary and a vulgar or grotesque display of inconsideration and complete disregard for public sentiments adding a level of morbid spectacle and horrendousness difficult for most to comprehend by doing so not just in front of but for what seems some misguided or twisted sense of educational purposes for children. and... 3.) The seemingly cold and clinical responses and attitudes regarding this unfortunate event by those involved appearing to be somewhat defiant, arrogant and even seeming somewhat perversely satisfied with themselves and their actions going as far as to express 'pride' in their decisions comes off as completely heartless in regard to the animals and seems extremely disrespectful toward the general public on this issue. "Perhaps their comments were taken out of context? Perhaps there's something lost in translation? I don't know that anyone is trying to say or act in this situation as if they truly know more than these particular or any professional animal caretakers or zoologists etc. but I do know that at present plenty of lay people worldwide do not understand or approve of what took place here. And again without more information and better understanding of the breeding program and why this was deemed the appropriate course of action this event seems misguided and a crime against the very nature those in such positions are thought to be involved with as protectors and caretakers of such animals. "One can attempt to justify these choices as those taking into consideration a bigger picture scientifically but in my view there seems to be more than one perspective to that picture and it would appear that adherence to such a rigid or strict nature of such clinical focus may be disregarding the public impact of their actions. "For most normal everyday people that love, care about and enjoy animals, this event has been a tragedy. An unexpected, unimaginable and what for many is most devastating a seemingly avoidable horror show that somehow seems lost on the professionals involved and those speaking for the zoo a facility that's in my opinion thought to exist for the animals, the public, educational purposes and science in as best a sense of harmony as possible. Just as it's a privilege for the public to visit, view and experience these animals it's also a privilege to work with and care for the animals and have the opportunity do so while interacting and/or working with the public. Unfortunately, somehow in this instance all or much of that seems to have been forgotten." According to the New York Times, the giraffe, named Marius, was killed because "his genes were well represented among the captive giraffe population in European zoos." The killing has caused outrage among members of the public and animal rights activists, especially when it was revealed that Marius was slaughtered despite a bid of more than $680,000 from an individual who wanted to take the giraffe in. A petition containing 30,000 signatures also failed to stop the giraffe's death. Rose also recently commented on the controversy surrounding the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS' performance at the Super Bowl, during which the band pretended to play to pre-recorded tracks, in an op-ed piece for Billboard.
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