Chechen president tells Instagram followers he is ready to take in giraffe facing death in Denmark 'on humanitarian grounds'

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

To sentence one giraffe named Marius to death may be regarded as a misfortune; to sentence two would be a catastrophe, according to Ramzan Kadyrov.

The Chechen president has used his Instagram account to offer to take in the second Marius, which, it emerged on Wednesday, has been threatened with the same fate as his namesake.

Kadyrov, who has been implicated in torture and human rights abuses, is a known animal admirer and has a huge personal zoo.

He frequently posts pictures of himself on Instagram with exotic animals, and made his offer of shelter for the second Danish giraffe on the social network.

"I read the information about the fact that in Denmark they are going to end the life of another giraffe," wrote Kadyrov beneath photographs of lions eating the first Marius, which the Chechen leader said was killed for "invented" reasons.

"On humanitarian grounds, I am ready to take Marius in. We can guarantee him good living conditions and care for his health," he added.

Only days after the euthanasia of a healthy young giraffe named Marius at Copenhagen zoo sparked controversy around the world, a second Danish zoo announced that it was considering a similar fate for another giraffe, also named Marius.

Jyllands Park zoo, in western Denmark, currently has two male giraffes, but has been approved to participate in the European breeding programme. If zookeepers manage to acquire a female giraffe, seven-year-old Marius will have to make way.

Copenhagen zoo's giraffe named Marius, before he was killed, dissected and eaten by lions. Photograph: Scanpix Denmark/Reuters

The first Marius was considered useless for breeding because his genes were too common. The prospect of his death prompted an international petition that garnered more than 27,000 signatures, and controversy continued after he was killed when he was dissected in front of a large crowd and then fed to lions.

A new petition to save the second Marius currently has 3,500 signatures.