Bieber posted a photo of himself staring glumly as he pet a leashed tiger to his Instagram on Sunday.
In a written statement (also published yesterday), PETA revealed that the tiger is in the custody of the Bowmanville Zoo and that its trainer, Michael Hackenberger, was charged, according to the CBC, with “four counts of causing an animal distress and one of failing to comply with the prescribed standards of care for an animal.”
Via PETA:
What Justin and other party guests probably don’t know is that Michael Hackenberger, the owner of that zoo, was recently charged with five counts of cruelty to animals because of PETA’s undercover footage, which shows him viciously whipping a young tiger during a ‘training’ session and then bragging about it. Hackenberger has supplied tigers for films such as Life of Pi and The Interview.
Exotic animals used for entertainment are usually torn away from their mothers at a young age, beaten into submission by trainers, and forced to live in cramped enclosures. They may even be fed sedatives so that they’re docile during events and parties like the one Justin attended. Tigers used in this way are denied everything that they need to be happy, and we can only imagine that the tiger Justin posed with has experienced a life of misery. Justin and other guests are lucky that they weren’t attacked by the wild animals. In similar situations, animals have been known to lash out because of the stress of their miserable lives.
Keep in mind, PETA, that Justin—like the tiger—is but another animal raised in captivity and—again, like the tiger—is very much the victim of Jeremy Bieber’s stupidity.
[US Weekly]
Look, we all know that Jay made a real mess of things, but this video of him dancing with Blue Ivy backstage at a Beyoncé show cute as heck.
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Images via Getty and Instagram.
