A zoo in Denmark is asking for owners to donate their unwanted healthy small pets so they can be food for its predators.

Aalborg Zoo requested donations of chickens, rabbits, and guinea pigs, which will be"gently euthanised by trained staff" and then used as food.

It also welcomes the donation of live horses, which must have a"horse passport" and come with the opportunity for a tax deduction on the horse’s value, which is calculated based on its weight.

The zoo explained on that the unwanted pets will be eaten whole by animals, including the European lynx, to mimic what these predators would naturally hunt in the wild.

This was to imitate the animals' natural food chain for both animal welfare and professional integrity, it said.

"That way, nothing goes to waste and we ensure natural behavior, nutrition, and well-being of our predators," the zoo said.

Comments under the post were disabled, though netizens raced to other posts by the organisation to express their dissatisfaction towards the initiative.

"Shame on you," many netizens raged, with some saying that asking for owners' pets was inhumane.

However, others defended the initiative, recalling their own experiences with the process to be peaceful and professional.

Some jokingly asked if the zoo accepted children as well.