Research at Copenhagen Zoo 2: Perception of animals with the giraffe Marius, the panda and the Tasmanian devils
Zoos are no longer just a showcase for captive animals. The animals are part of breeding programs and research and are not just for decoration. This is a far cry from the past outlook on animals and animal ethics, when they were considered objects of entertainment. For many years, Bengt Holst has fought the Disneyfication (also called Disneyization, is a term which describes the transformation of something to resemble The Walt Disney Company's theme parks ) of animals and worked to make the animals fascinating enough in their own right, without the need to humanize them.
Bengt Holst has worked in the Copenhagen Zoo since he graduated as a biologist in 1983. Since 1994 as Deputy Director and Scientific Director. From 1993-1999, he participated with Joachim Jerrik, Jens Degett and later Jerk Langer in a weekly radio program (Study 2000) on natural sciences on DR-P1. He is perhaps best known for appearing in Danish and foreign media in 2014 to defend the fact that Copenhagen Zoo killed a giraffe, which was autopsied in front of an audience and then eaten by the lions. Bengt Holst has been chairman of the Animal Ethics Council since 2012.
The podcast is the second in a series of interviews (in Danish) with science journalist Jens Degett on zoo research and development.
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