Euthanasia decisions for zoo animals raise profound ethical questions about quality of life, public perception, and institutional pressures. Welfare-centred frameworks guide best practice.
End-of-life decision-making in zoos is frequently distorted by public relations pressure to avoid euthanasia. Animals may be kept alive in declining welfare conditions because euthanasia generates negative publicity. Welfare-centred ethics demands that a peaceful death, when quality of life cannot be maintained, is the compassionate choice. Clear quality of life assessment frameworks, applied consistently, protect animals from unnecessary prolongation of suffering.