Nuremberg Zoo baboon culling: nearly 800 criminal complaints and ongoing investigation a year after 12 guinea baboons were killed

From conservation to crowding

Guinea baboons have lived at Nuremberg Zoo since 1942 and are part of the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP), which aims to maintain reserve populations of threatened species for possible reintroduction. In the past, the zoo transferred baboons to other institutions in France, China and Spain, but more recently potential receiving zoos were reviewed and ultimately rejected. The baboon enclosure is designed for about 25 adult animals plus offspring. By July 2025 the group had grown to 43 individuals, far beyond its intended capacity.

The 29 July culling and its immediate fallout

On 29 July 2025 the zoo culled twelve baboons, arguing that no humane alternative remained. Relocation or reintroduction to the wild was not feasible, and contraception had failed to curb the birth rate. The decision triggered weeks of protests: animal rights activists chained themselves to the baboon enclosure, entered the closed zoo grounds and set up a protest camp. Hate comments and death threats against zoo employees appeared on social media.

Neither relocation nor release was possible, and contraception had not had the desired effect.

Legal and ethical dimension

A year later, the fundamental question remains unresolved. Animal protection organisations contend that killing healthy baboons violates Germany's animal welfare law, which forbids killing an animal without a reasonable ground. The zoo invokes the same law, arguing that overcrowding made welfare-compliant husbandry impossible. Nearly 800 criminal complaints have been lodged with the public prosecutor's office in Nuremberg-Fürth. Spokesperson Heike Klotzbücher said: "The investigation is continuing unchanged."

Pro Wildlife, which filed one of the complaints, stresses the broader significance of the case. The Nuremberg proceedings could set a precedent for how zoos manage surplus animals bred under conservation programmes.

It is about the ethical question of our animal protection - whether it is undermined or not.

Overcrowding persists but no immediate action planned

Today 31 baboons inhabit the enclosure, still above its design threshold. However, the zoo says the social structure is intact and no urgent measures are needed at present. A spokesperson said: "We are constantly trying to place Guinea baboons with suitable facilities to prevent overpopulation." If rehoming proves impossible again, future culls of individual animals would be necessary.