Authorities in Ontario are investigating allegations that a Siberian tiger was whipped repeatedly by its trainer at a zoo east of Toronto where the tiger in the the film “The Life of Pi” was trained.
The U.S.-based animal rights group PETA asked the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to investigate the Bowmanville Zoo’s owner, Michael Hackenberger, after a volunteer at the zoo shot video footage that PETA says was animal abuse.
Hackenberger acknowledges that the footage appears incriminating but says he whipped the tiger only twice and that a subsequent 17 lashes were to the ground, not the tiger’s body.
“A tiger will not lay on the ground and allow itself to be struck as they videotape suggests,” he said in his response. “They’ll turn aroumnd, they’ll try to kill you.”
The SPCA sent officers specializing in exotic animals to the zoo where they examined the tigers. No animals were removed.
The SPCA says it will interview everyone involved in the situation and will continue to monitor the care of the animals involved in the investigation.
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