( CNN ) -- An online petition to save a healthy young giraffe from death has failed , despite thousands of signatures from animal lovers . Copenhagen Zoo said it euthanized the male , named Marius , on Sunday because of a duty to avoid inbreeding . After an autopsy , `` Marius '' was dismembered in front of a zoo audience that included children , and fed to the zoo 's lions . Despite online uproar over the move and reports of last-minute attempts to save the animal , the zoo in the Danish capital said it had no place for Marius in its giraffe herd . `` Our giraffes are part of an international breeding program , which has a purpose of ensuring a sound and healthy population of giraffes , '' Bengt Holst , scientific director at Copenhagen Zoo , told CNN . `` It can only be done by matching the genetic composition of the various animals with the available space . ... When giraffes breed as well as they do now , then you will inevitably run into so-called surplus problems now and then . '' CNN anchor Jonathan Mann asked Holst if it would have been possible to sterilize Marius or move him to another zoo to avoid killing him . `` If we just sterilize him , he will take up space for more genetically valuable giraffes , '' Holst answered . Did the children watching cry ? Mann asked . Just the opposite , Holst said . The crowd was `` very enthusiastic '' and `` the kids asked good questions . '' Fed to the lions . The carcass was used partly for research and partly to feed carnivores at the zoo -- lions , tigers , and leopards . `` In this case we would never throw away 200 kilograms of meat , '' Holst said . He said the giraffe was 2 years old , and while he was not officially named , his keepers had called him Marius to identify him . The giraffe 's impending death had sparked outrage online , with more than 27,000 people signing a `` Save Marius '' petition , appealing for a last-minute change of heart . `` The zoo has raised him so it is their responsibility to find him a home , '' author Maria Evans wrote on the petition site . Copenhagen Zoo said that due to a massive debate on its Facebook page , it had published a Q & A about the decision on its website . `` It is not possible to transfer the giraffe to another zoo as it will cause inbreeding , '' it said . Several zoos volunteered to take Marius in . The UK 's Yorkshire Wildlife Park , which says it has a state-of-the-art giraffe house and the capacity for an extra male , was among several places which put in offers to take him . International breeding program . Copenhagen Zoo said only zoos that follow certain rules can be part of international breeding programs . In Europe , these are members of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria . The association counts just over 300 members and under its rules , inbreeding among giraffes is to be avoided . The association said in a statement Sunday that it supports the zoo 's decision . Despite Marius being healthy , his genes are already well represented at the zoo . Releasing the giraffe into the wild would be unlikely to succeed , Copenhagen Zoo said . Contraceptives `` have a number of unwanted side effects on the internal organs and we would therefore apply a poorer animal welfare if we did not euthanize , '' it said . It also made clear that its policy was not to sell the animals . Outside autopsy . Holst told CNN the autopsy had been performed outside , given the giraffe 's size , and watched by the public , including children if their parents allowed them to . `` It is a good opportunity to invite our guests to watch . ... We are here to educate people and that is a good way to show people what a giraffe looks like , '' he said . `` People could come into this area if they wanted to . They came with children , without children , we had a lot of people . '' He said a group of about 16 protesters had gathered outside the zoo on Sunday morning and that he had tried to speak with them . He said all options had been explored before the decision had been made . `` We have always been very open about it , explaining why we are doing it , '' he said . On average , he said some 20 to 30 animals , including goats , antelopes and wild boar , were culled for the same reason every year at the zoo . `` This is the first giraffe . ... I do not understand the outrage -- we are all used to on a current basis of animals being culled in the wild , '' he said . `` We have to ensure a safe healthy population for the future , and you can only have a healthy population if you control and coordinate your breeding efforts . '' Editors ' Note : This article has been edited to remove plagiarized content after CNN discovered multiple instances of plagiarism by Marie-Louise Gumuchian , a former CNN news editor .
NEW : Copenhagen Zoo official : If we sterilized giraffe , he 'd just take up needed space . Giraffe 's autopsy performed outside in front of people at Copenhagen Zoo . Zoo says giraffe killed because of a duty to avoid inbreeding . Comment: