On Saturday, April 30, Justin Bieber’s father hosted a party in Toronto, Canada. In an attempt to amuse party guests, he had a tiger and other animals, who were apparently brought in from the Bowmanville Zoo, at the event.
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.
We’re calling on Justin and his family never to use animals as selfie props or party entertainment again.
What You Can Do
Never support events or parties where animals are used as entertainment, and urge your friends and family to do the same. Every dollar spent on these events and every selfie taken with a helpless captive animal supports animal suffering.
