Mom explains why she doesn’t regret giving her daughter’s pony to zoo to become lion food

A mom has come under fire for her decision to feed her daughter's pony to the lions at a local zoo.

Pernille Sohl, of Denmark, has faced harsh criticism after revealing she donated her child's horse to Aalborg Zoo, in the north of the country.

The 44-year-old took their pet to the zoo following a 'food drive' from the establishment - which cares for over 1,500 animals, including 126 different species - after their horse fell ill and was recommended to be euthanized.

Sohl ultimately chose for the horse to be given as 'whole prey' to the lions as it was going to be 'going to be put down anyway'.

"It might sound very dramatic and bizarre that you would feed your pet to animals in the zoo," she told The Sunday Times.

"But they are going to be put down anyway, and it is not like they are alive when they are given to the predators."

She is not the only person to send their pet to the zoo to be eaten, with the zoo itself noting that 22 horses, 53 chickens, 137 rabbits and 18 guinea pigs have also been donated.

Aalborg Zoo took to Instagram to encourage Danes to donate their pets.

"Chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs make up an important part of the diet of our predators - especially in the European locust, which needs whole prey, which is reminiscent of what it would naturally hunt in the wild," it read.

"In zoos we have a responsibility to imitate the natural food chain of the animals - in terms of both animal welfare and professional integrity. If you have a healthy animal that has to leave here for various reasons, feel free to donate it to us.

"The animals are gently euthanized by trained staff and are afterwards used as fodder. That way, nothing goes to waste - and we ensure natural behavior, nutrition and well-being of our predators."

In return, donors are awarded $15.60 for each small pet, while larger animals are paid by the kilogram - 78 cents a pop, and with a grown horse weighing between 380 to 1000kg, that could be a nice $780 payday.

Maybe nice is the wrong word, given the circumstances.

Like Sohl, Helen Hjortholm Andersen donated her horse to be fed to the lions; this time, her Shetland pony was going to Jyllands Park Zoo.

Ironically, her pony was called 'Paprika', while Andersen explained per The Mirror that the costs of collecting a dead animal were 'grotesquely high'.

"The idea that she could be of benefit made sense. We would do it again. We like the idea of the cycle of life, and that a pony can help to create life for other animals," she said.