A zoo in the German city of Nuremberg said it killed 12 baboons on Tuesday despite protests, capping a saga rooted in concerns that the zoo had too little space to house a growing group of the animals.

The Tiergarten Nürnberg Zoo in Southern Germany confirmed that it killed 12 healthy Guinea baboons due to overcrowding issues, prompting backlash from animals rights groups who claimed that they violated animal protection laws by doing so.

Twelve baboons were shot dead at a German zoo because there was not enough space in their enclosure. Tiergarten Nürnberg zoo has sparked outcry from animal rights groups after culling the healthy animals and feeding them to predators.