Pop star Justin Bieber has found himself drawing criticism from animal rights group PETA – an organization that features him on its website as an advocate for animals.
At issue is a photo Bieber posted to Instagram over the weekend, featuring himself and a tiger at his father Jeremy’s engagement party in Toronto.
PETA says the tiger appears to be from the Bowmanville Zoo. The zoo’s owner, Michael Hackenberger, is facing five charges of animal cruelty, after a video surfaced of a tiger being whipped more than 17 times.
Hackenberger has denied any wrongdoing and has said he will clear his name. While the charges remain active, he is not involved with day-to-day operation of the zoo.
“Justin Bieber is lucky not to have had his throat torn out by this stressed captive tiger,” PETA vice-president Lisa Lange said in a news release.
“PETA urges everyone to stay far away from cruel and dangerous big cat photo ops.”
The group says it believes the tiger in the photo is the same as the one in the controversial video because of unique features like its stripes and a bald patch on its nose.
A spokesperson for the zoo told CP24 that it could not confirm whether the tiger was the same one, as Jeremy Bieber’s engagement party was not a zoo event.
PETA wants Justin Bieber to respond to the criticism and vow to stop posing for photos with exotic animals.
With files from CTV Toronto
