A petition has begun to sack the "disgusting" zoo boss who allowed a healthy giraffe to be killed and fed to lions in front of children.

Bengt Holst, the scientific director of Copenhagen Zoo, ordered that the giraffe should be shot despite three zoos, including one in the UK offering to adopt Marius the giraffe.

Holst said the 18-month-old baby needed to be killed to preserve the gene pool.

So far the online petition  has over 1,000 signatures.

The petition head Victoria Ranson said: "We call on Copenhagen Zoo to relieve him of his post - to not do so would cause outrage and most likely a permanent boycott of your establishment."

One of those who signed the petition added: "Please remove Bengt Holst from his position at Copenhagen Zoo. He is a disgrace.

"What he did to Marius the giraffe is a crime against a perfect, healthy baby of 18 months.

"Several zoos offered to take him but this disgusting man had it killed, skinned and fed to the lions in front of children.

"Now that's disgusting behaviour for an advanced country. This man has brought disrepute to your zoo and your country. What kind of moron does that?"

Marius was shot with a bolt gun after a final meal of rye bread, then his carcass was cut up and fed to lions.

Youngsters watched as zoo staff in green gloves dissected the animal.

Comic Ricky Gervais posted online: “Destroying a beautiful healthy animal because it was surplus to your needs just isn’t good enough.”

Some 20,000 people signed an online petition to save Marius from “death row”, and campaigners protested outside the zoo over the weekend.

The Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster, which has a new giraffe house and previously took a male giraffe from Copenhagen, had offered to give Marius a home.

But Mr Holst insisted giraffes had to be selected so the best genes were passed down to ensure the animal’s long-term survival.

The zoo puts down 20 to 30 animals a year to help manage their populations, he said.

He added: “Giraffes today breed very well, and when they do you have to choose and make sure the ones you keep are the ones with the best genes.”

He said all zoos had been considered, but that any available space should be given to a “genetically more important” giraffe.

The zoo said in a statement: “The euthanasia is happening in agreement with the European Breeding Programme for giraffe.

“It is not possible to transfer the giraffe to another zoo as it will cause in-breeding.”

The zoo’s boss stressed castration had not been an option as it can have “undesirable effects” on the giraffe’s internal organs.

And he said releasing the animal into the wild has little chance of success and there are no giraffe release programmes.