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Marius (giraffe) (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) – (View log · Stats)
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A giraffe that recently attracted a few news articles after being culled, as every zoo in the world does to many animals every year. Not notable, and nobody is likely to care in a year. Tangentially, one would be forgiven for concluding at times that the English Wikipedia cannot have articles about current events without fringe activists' contributing their side's views in ways that violate NPOV and usually a few other pillars. Pakaran 02:08, 10 February 2014 (UTC) [reply]

Merge/redir as below to Copenhagen Zoo, I would have suggested doing so if I'd seen the main article before starting this request. Pakaran 18:50, 10 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
See below Pakaran 17:02, 13 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
NOTE: The original nominator (Pakaran) appears to have withdrawn his nomination for deletion.--NickPenguin(contribs) 05:13, 14 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
A deletion nomination cannot be withdrawn where others support the deletion, see Wikipedia:Afd#Withdrawing a nomination. WWGB (talk) 07:22, 14 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, this should be kept open, which is why I did not close it or request closing. I struck my nomination statement because I reconsidered my personal vote, and I hope that that is not given any consideration beyond that of one less support, and more oppose, by an ordinary user. Sorry for the confusion :). Pakaran 15:38, 16 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Note: This debate has been included in the list of Denmark-related deletion discussions. —Mikemoral♪♫ 02:16, 10 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • Cautious delete Although this incident may have raised some legitimate questions about the practice of zoos euthanizing healthy animals, I think this could be a classic example of a person or animal only famous for one thing. PatGallacher (talk) 02:25, 10 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Note: This debate has been included in the list of Organisms-related deletion discussions. • Gene93k (talk) 03:17, 10 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • Didn't have a page prior to death, shouldn't have one now. It did nothing significant, and nothing significant happened to it. They should have fed it to the lions live, but they probably wouldn't have known what to do with it, further confusing the children. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.102.115.192 (talk) 05:36, 10 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • I searched for "Bengt Holst", no article title matches, but the article already considered for deletion came up. I went to the article for more information and related links. Gee, with so many prophets above knowing with exact certainty what the future status will be... Who knows, this could be a tipping point. 70.210.132.115 (talk) 07:35, 10 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
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  • Delete the nature of wikis is that such articles are created by well meaning individuals thinking that it's what news the public would want to read, forgetting that this is an encyclopedia for things of more than fleeting existence and relevance, and we have to suffer their existence for a whole week before it can be deleted.  Ohc ¡digame! 12:04, 10 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
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  • weak keep: by itself, Marius the giraffe would not be notable, but the level of news coverage, debate, and the article does meet wp:GNG. Is keeping the article THAT big a deal? No, and six months from now, we may revisit this and the delete would be unanimous and uncontested, but right now, there are a LOT of people following this giraffe, this story. I expect debates about animal captivity, and zoo handling to increase making Marius even MORE notable, even if it is just infamy. 198.24.6.201 (talk) 19:29, 10 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
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Yes I am new to editing the articles, but I still have an opinion198.24.6.201 (talk) 21:21, 10 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Or you may be an existing editor attempting to !vote on multiple occasions ... WWGB (talk) 22:45, 10 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • Keep Marius is the story of people reading rules and not being able to think when there is an obvious solution, because of the giant disconnect because people are interacting with technology rather than with others in the material world, yes he got deleted do not delete him again, the inhumanity of what happened and that is was considered normal course is a story worth repeating so this great mistake can be seen and it is not just the killing but that it was done publicly and people were advised it was education and then Marius was fed to the lions it is the level if obliviousness that is newsMasterknighted (talk) 19:45, 10 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • Delete, should be a section in the Copenhagen Zoo article and no more (perhaps a note in an animal rights list, if one exists). --Zerbey (talk) 20:19, 10 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • Keep Interesting to see how many clever editors already know how long this topic will be relevant, how many think they already know the full impact of the event, and how many inexplicably think this happens every day. Clearly passes WP:GNG, is reasonably well-written and the subject is creating a lot of internet traffic, far more than the zoo ever has. Another AfD six months down the line may produce a more obvious result, but keep it for now. People who don't understand the topic should stay out of AfDs. Bretonbanquet (talk) 20:22, 10 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
"Official"? It's just the opinion of another zoo, not Putin! WWGB (talk) 22:53, 10 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • Delete. This is a commonplace practice, and there is nothing special about this giraffe. Merging content (if necessary) with article on the zoo or the general practice of culling is more appropriate. Risker (talk) 21:46, 10 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • Redirect to Copenhagen Zoo#Giraffe controversy, where this topic is covered in entirely sufficient detail. This is not a notable giraffe, with no significant coverage of it prior to its death. At most, an article on the event could be argued for, but even that I don't think is justified at this point. Robofish (talk) 22:09, 10 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • Keep I hope Marius' article brings much attention to this senseless tragedy. He has made ALL the major news outlets and will continue for the time to come. R.I.P. Marius the giraffe :— Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.56.123.56 (talkcontribs)
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  • Keep or Merge with Copenhagen Zoo. - The article is about the story not the animal so it is irrelevant if it is a one-event notability. It just so happens that the title of the article is the name of the animal. If it were to be merged, it belongs to the article of the Zoo but in relation to that article's content, the info here may seem out of place, especially with regards to length.--Theparties (talk) 01:15, 11 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • Redirect to Copenhagen Zoo#Giraffe culling controversy. The controversy is about the zoo and, on a higher level, the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA) policy on maintaining the gene pool of giraffes. The zoo admits that 20 or 30 animals are killed each year. Having an article on each animal destroyed from this or any other zoo would make Wikipedia over-bloated with articles of this sort, and the Deaths in (year) articles and categories over-bloated as well. Erasmussen (talk) 01:32, 11 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • Keep or Redirect to Copenhagen Zoo#Giraffe Marius controversy. After all this was widely covered by media, Marius death (and mainly the circumstances it occurred at... healthy animal, alternatives refused, the way it was done, etc...) have been talked about around the whole world... not just one more trivial animal culling case. Don't think this should be deleted at all, else think it would req. considering same for a LOT other wiki pages. Marius had no space on the zoo... "whole world" talked about it... can't he even get some few KB's about it at Wikipedia also? Nars (talk) 03:52, 11 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • Keep. I am strongly against delete, but I'm honestly on the fence between keep and merge. My problem with articles being merged is frequently they become mere redirects with little to no content about the original subject. That is useless for someone legitimately trying to find out about the subject. Secondly, I feel this vote is premature. The person who nominated the article probably has no problem with hunting, the whole prey/predator cycle, but currently Marius the giraffe is a cause celebré, with thousands of people upset clouding the vote with passion and emotion. Will it matter six months from now? Maybe, maybe not. But he seems to matter now and as of this time, I think we should respect that. Thirdly, the rules of this site are bent and swayed according to consensus. My case in point. We require articles to be independently "notable". With independent resources, etc... I have seen dozens of cable network "celebrities" get voted off while a reality TV personality on NBC or CBS gets voted in. Teck Holmes, despite parts in more than two dozen movies and TV shows doesn't have an article because he isn't "notable" enough, but a contestant on Survivor can be included with no other credits. I care not one way or the other about Teck beyond making my argument. I know server space is a finite resource, but with all the hoopla, I think this meets notability. Antares33712 (talk) 05:05, 11 February 2014 (UTC) PS: I haven't edited in a while because hypocrisy, but for some reason I'm just giving my POV.— Preceding unsigned comment added by Antares33712 (talkcontribs) [reply]
  • Redirect BRDG-1E Candleabracadabra (talk) 05:13, 11 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • Weak Keep, I could also easily go with Redirect, but a lot of the info in the article, esp. over time, wont relate directly to the zoo, so its slightly better on its own. Just to be difficult, i think the article, if kept, should be renamed Killing of Marius (giraffe), as articles about people who were otherwise not notable except for their deaths, usually are titled in this manner. And, of course, its not just a death, but a killing. The section should not be called "Giraffe culling controversy", as this is not about the policy per se, but the notability of this one killing specifically, which may be setting off some broader debates on culling.Mercurywoodrose (talk) 06:38, 11 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • Merge or Delete There's little notability here; if anything's notable, it's the general policies of the Copenhagen Zoo. Most of the keeps appear to be simply trying to jump around WP:NOTNEWS by saying "Oh, it's important right now" but determining whether the notability is temporary is the *point* not something to just ignore. In addition, social importance is irrelevant here -- we care about the notability of the subjects of articles, not whether the articles aid or hinder causes. CoffeeCrumbs (talk) 11:08, 11 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • Keep. This incident has clearly raised awareness about the morals and ethics of zoos and conservation, and shocked many people. These values are not widely discussed or reported on Wikipedia. For example, the article Culling does not even mention zoo animals. I think if this article is merged or moved to the Copenhagen Zoo article it may well be eroded in subsequent years, reducing the obvious impact of this incident caused by the culling of this animal. There are many articles on Wikipedia on individual animals with varing degrees of notability, and several of them for very similar reasons to this present article. In fact, there are whole categories on individual animals, e.g. Category:Individual elephants, Category:Individual cats, Category:Individual dogs, Category:Individual horses and yes...Category:Individual giraffes!! If we delete this article, I think there is a heck of a lot more deletions needed.__DrChrissy (talk) 11:48, 11 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Quick follow up - readers may like to take a look at Talk:Topsy (elephant). It has strong parallels to this current debate.__DrChrissy (talk) 11:59, 11 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

  • Keep. I think this is a notable enough incident to be worthy of a note in history and therefore have its own Wikipedia article – I can imagine wanting to go back and read about it in years to come. And I agree with Mercurywoodrose's point (above), that if it is kept, the article should be renamed Killing of Marius (giraffe), for the reasons given. Booboo29 (talk) 15:31, 11 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • Redirect to Copenhagen Zoo#Giraffe controversy, The animal only gained notoriety due to the media attention, the Giraffe itself was of no significant interest in to the Giraffe population in captivity or the wild. The controversy though does raise questions surrounding the ethics and treatment of animals born in captivity as was only contentious due to the other options being available to prevent the slaughter of an otherwise healthy animal. The Redirect to the Copenhagen Zoo would be appropriate as the issue was localised there. To retain the page would IMHO be against WP:NPOV and WP:CRITICISM. Scaredmo (talk) 16:42, 11 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • Redirect as above. In the long run I guess a paragraph or so in the zoo article will be appropriate. Averell (talk) 17:52, 11 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • Keep. Culling zoo animals may be standard practice, but went on largely ignored by the general public so far. This event is notable for calling public attention to this topic. András Dutkó (talk) 18:06, 11 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
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  • Keep This article is of a very notable event due to the controversy surrounding it and the fact that Marius has become a symbol for unethical culling, This isn't the first case such an article exists on Wikipedia related to an animal or a person who would be unnoteworthy if not for the controversy surrounding them.. 62.198.162.25 (talk) 18:40, 11 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
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  • Comment - If we have this as a stand alone article, it will constantly get challenged. All of the facts here are important, and my goal is to preserve it. As time goes on, there will be less coverage to add to this article. Marius spent his whole life in Copenhagen school, so this article could be merged there. An article about European zoos or zoo practices would be better, but the grouping of ideas could be considered original research unless enough sources and work is added. There can be a problem whichever way this is decided. - Sidelight12 Talk 20:47, 12 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Event received more coverage, about a larger EAZA issue. - Sidelight12 Talk23:06, February 13, 2014
Where is the evidence of "cruelty"? The giraffe was killed by stunning with a bolt gun. No evidence of any pain or suffering. WWGB (talk) 13:15, 13 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Ahh, Godwin's Law. Gotta love it! WWGB (talk) 10:11, 17 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
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  • Keep. This tragic case has been reported fairly extensively around the world and has done a great deal to raise awareness about zoo "culling" practices. Everyking (talk) 21:43, 14 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • Keep - meets WP:GNG. The story has moved on from being a news event and has provoked a worldwide debate on whether culling is the best approach to manage genetic issues in such animals. A merge to Copenhagen Zoo would be a sub-optimal action since even the present content is disproportionate to the balance of that article. Further, broadening this page may be a valid future action. The Whispering Wind (talk) 23:08, 14 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • Keep. It is arguable that the subject here is a mere news event, but it has raised serious issues about zoo ethics that may have a lasting impact. In any case, the subject is, as it should be, covered in a more condensed form at the Copenhagen Zoo article, so if consensus eventually turns out to be against a separate article on the giraffe, there should be a redirect rather than a deletion. Sjakkalle (Check!) 00:00, 15 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • Comment This whole arguement about whether an article is "just" news is so nebulous and open to interpretation. As an English person not particularly interested in ball-games, I struggle to understand why Super Bowl XLVIII exists, let alone without any comment regarding it being "just" news. It clearly is news, and debate about it will clearly dissipate with time (if there IS any debate). Perhaps I should label Super Bowl XLVIII for deletion and stand back and watch the fury that would be sure to arise.__DrChrissy (talk) 00:41, 15 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • Analysis: Right now we have about an even split that is 29-27 in favor of retaining the article out of a total 56 votes/positions cast. So, some editors will surely be angry either way this one goes. I said all redirect/merge or deletes in the deletion category, and all keeps/weak keeps put in the keeping category.HotHat (talk) 05:27, 15 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
At least ten "keep" !votes have come from single-purpose accounts (new editors and possibly repeat !voters) which significantly weakens the "keep" statistic. WWGB (talk) 13:01, 15 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
There are a lot of legitimate new voters, drawn in by the delete discussion, who are regular readers of Wikipedia. These do not weaken the keep count. It's up to the admin to determine repeat votes. - Sidelight12 Talk 02:14, 16 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
As it reads "Consensus is not based on a tally of votes, but on reasonable, logical, policy-based arguments." - Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion#How_an_AfD_discussion_is_closed Timelezz (talk) 20:41, 16 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
There is an estimate of 1 potential duplicate vote found. - Sidelight12 Talk 06:07, 17 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • Keep. Clearly notable. People will see references to the killing/culling of Marius and want to look it up. There is enough to say about this event to warrant its own article - though a mention in one or two broader-topic articles would probably be appropriate, too. As for naming: usual practice is to name this kind of story after the event - though it is by no means mandatory. Personally, I see no benefit whatever in lengthening the name to "Killing/Culling of" and so, as a lover of concision, I oppose that. --Anthonyhcole (talk · contribs · email) 05:52, 15 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • Keep. Massive media coverage, departure point for many discussions on an international level, also in-depth comments, and likely to influence looks on zoo policies and ethics in the future, as a reference point. The interest in this subject goes way beyond media coverage in the US, UK and Denmark, and it is good to have an international, updated reference article available Joen Elmbak (talk) 09:12, 15 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
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RUBBISH!!! I edit extensively, but I do it as an IP without an account. So stop your unwarranted inferences. And don't label me as an SPA, and don't lecture me about creating an account - in case you were thinking of doing so! 86.31.7.99 (talk) 12:04, 16 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I suggest you read Wikipedia:Single-purpose account which empowers me to make such an edit. The tag fits, wear it. WWGB (talk) 12:18, 16 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I suggest you read it yourself. Especially the first two bullet points. 86.31.7.99 (talk) 12:21, 16 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Please hold your horses. You work from an IP-address which are not necessarily fixed. If (or rather 'when') your Internet Provider gave you a different IP, Wikipedia has no means to bind your previous and your new IP address. That's why most people create an account. Timelezz (talk) 20:32, 16 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Makes little difference, there was only one estimated duplicate vote out of over 50 votes. It's conceivable that many people here are regular readers who acted on the delete template. They are as much a part of Wikipedia as regular contributors. - Sidelight12 Talk 06:07, 17 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • Keep. This article is notable and represents a greater problem. Marius is a symbol for a cause and isn't the first such symbol to be on Wikipedia. Gurluas (talk) 16:04, 15 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • Keep. This has been a major worldwide story, and people need Wikipedia to represent the truth. The Marius story is of great importance regarding the treatment of animals in captivity, it should be made available for public knowledge and not deleted from history. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Katepilla55 (talkcontribs) 19:10, 15 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
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  • Keep - or merge eventually; time will tell how much attention this story deserves. Right now it is a major news story; we don't yet know its repercussions. It doesn't really matter if Marius himself never did anything notable, or if the culling was an entirely trivial matter; the real story is the public's reaction, which is unusual. — Preceding unsigned comment added by SkaraB (talkcontribs) 09:02, 16 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • Delete - It is very probable that the neutrality of the article can not be maintained or will be contested continually. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Pankow45 (talkcontribs) 18:31, 16 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
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  • Keep or merge with an appropriate article such as Copenhagen Zoo. Maybe rename per all the "Notoriety of person Foo" articles. High amount of news coverage meets GNG, this is a unique situation, not just an ordinary day behind the scenes at a zoo. The fact that it is controversial here (per above) is itself evidence of notability. Montanabw(talk) 19:14, 16 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

  • Keep or, preferrably, merge with Copenhagen Zoo. This content is not superfluous for an encyclopedia in the context of the Copenhagen Zoo, as it has been the event which has brought that particular zoo into the public consciousness. I doubt that most people will forget this context in which they first heard of the Copenhagen Zoo. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 162.206.114.4 (talkcontribs) 20:32, 16 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
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  • Keep - Marius has generated wide media attention around the world, and attention from animal rights activists, and is more than just a news article. This is notable, and will likely be so for a long time. Well-written article that should definitely be kept.Q6637p (talk) 22:25, 16 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • Keep - Article is clearly notable enough to warrant it's own separate Wikipedia entry due to the amount of press coverage alone Mr.Television (talk) 07:33, 17 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • Keep or merge but deletion is not actually an option as the reliable coverage about the subject is really massive. Cavarrone 10:12, 17 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • Delete There are too many errors in the article for it to be here. There are also cultural differences that are not highlighted enough. Martin_nielsen 21:26, 17 February 2014 (CET)
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So you improve it, you don't delete it.