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The Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Britain already has Marius' brother, so Holst said the park's space should be used to acquire giraffes with more valuable genetics. The other zoo, in Sweden, couldn't offer a promise that they wouldn't sell him later.

Robert Krijuff, the director of a wildlife park in the Netherlands, had made a last-minute offer to take the giraffe that was rejected.

"I can't believe it," he said. "We offered to save his life. Zoos need to change the way they do business."