In one video, the 'What Do You Mean' hitmaker is seen feeding the baby lion prior to his concert in Toronto.
- May 20, 2016
AceShowbiz - Justin Bieber is blasted by PETA once again after posing with a lion cub at his concert in Toronto. In some photos shared by "serial entrepreneur" Alex Haditaghi, shirtless Bieber can be seen cuddling the baby lion.
In one video, the "Love Yourself" hitmaker is seen feeding the baby lion which is also named Alex. "After being fed by Justin Bieber, Alex is one of his biggest fans! Justin really cares about the conservation of these beautiful animals! He is truly a class act and awesome guy!" Haditaghi wrote alongside the video.
The baby lion is the same animal Justin posed with at his father's engagement party earlier this month.
In a statement to Refinery29, PETA senior vice president Lisa Lange says, "Nearly three weeks after posing with animals from an outfit whose owner is facing five counts of cruelty for mercilessly whipping a tiger, Justin Bieber is at it again. He apparently posed with the same baby lion who had been paraded at his father's engagement party and torn away from his mother shortly after birth - putting his life at risk so that he could be exploited for photo ops with clueless celebrities. This is cruelty, not conservation, and it's time for Bieber to say 'Sorry' for endorsing the sleazy exotic-animals trade."
World Animal Protection also weighs in, saying, "Show business is no business for wild animals - it's disappointing to see Justin Bieber yet again posing with a wild animal despite the welfare concerns and the cruelty involved in stunts like this. Lions belong in the wild, where their needs can be fully met, not in captivity for use as entertainment or photo props."
"People posing with wildlife don't realize that a 'once in a lifetime' photo for them means a lifetime of misery for the animal," it continues, "To be used for entertainment, lions are forcibly removed from their mothers as cubs, trained to perform, and often suffer for the rest of their lives in captivity. They are also highly unpredictable, with people around the world having been mauled or attacked when posing or interacting with these animals. To people with huge influence like Justin Bieber, our message is simple: lions are wild animals, not entertainers."
Bieber's rep hasn't commented on the issue yet. On Thursday night, May 19, the "Baby" crooner shared on Instagram a photo of him hugging the lion cub and petting a lion's head.
