Justin Bieber under fire from PETA for posing with Bowmanville tiger
Posted May 2, 2016 02:48:26 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Canadian pop star Justin Bieber is no stranger to controversy – some say his career has been built more on headlines than music.
So it should come as no surprise to hear that the 22-year-old from Stratford, Ont., is in PETA’s crosshairs after a tiger appeared at his father’s engagement party in Toronto.
According to the animal right’s group, the tiger in question came from the Bowmanville Zoo, whose owner has recently been charged with five counts of cruelty to animals by the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
PETA said Monday morning that they have sent the ‘Sorry’ singer a letter asking him to stop using animals for entertainment purposes.
“Justin Bieber is lucky not to have had his throat torn out by this stressed captive tiger,” PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange said in the release.
“Tigers used for photo ops are torn away from their mothers shortly after birth, and the Bowmanville Zoo, in particular, was caught whipping one tiger more than 17 times, even after the cat was lying on his back in a position of submission and fear. This is why PETA urges everyone to stay far away from cruel and dangerous big-cat photo ops and also why we’re asking Justin to vow that this will be his last time promoting these types of abusive outfits.”
Bieber’s Instragram photo from the event has been liked over 2 million times and has received over 40,000 comments, most in support of the young star or critiquing his new, buzz-cut hairstyle.
Bieber reportedly made a brief appearance at Drake’s album-release party at La Vie Complex on Friday night.
He was charged with assault in 2014 after an incident involving a Toronto limousine driver. The charges were later withdrawn.
