AceShowbiz -

Justin Bieber is being slammed by PETA for posing with a chained tiger at her father's engagement party. PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange said in a statement, "Justin Bieber is lucky not to have had his throat torn out by this stressed captive tiger."

"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," Lisa continued, "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."

A PETA spokesperson told THR that the tiger is trained and owned by Michael Hackenberger, a tiger trainer for Hollywood movies who has five animal cruelty charges after being allegedly caught on video whipping a Siberian tiger in his care.

"The tiger who appeared at the Bieber party is identical to Robbie, a Bowmanville Zoo tiger we know is used for encounters with the public and was used in 'The Interview'," the rep said. "Each tiger's stripes are unique, and Robbie even has several additional unique characteristics that match up with the Bieber tiger: pigmentation on the nose, a tear-drop shape above one of his eyes, and identical bald patches on the nose."

PETA also sent a letter to Justin's manager Scooter Braun, writing, "We know he (Bieber) is drawn to animals, but this is the very worst way to recognize this interest because exotic animals are usually torn away from their mothers prematurely, beaten into submission by trainers, are often doped up to be docile, and are deprived of everything that's natural and important to them."

World Animal Protection also blasted Justin for taking a "selfie" with a wild animal. "To people with huge influence like Justin Bieber, our message is simple: tigers are wild animals, not entertainers," the statement read. "People posing with wildlife don't realize that a 'once in a lifetime' photo for them means a lifetime of misery for the animal."

Justin's rep hasn't commented on the issue yet.