animal cruelty

Animal-Rights Organizations Criticize Beyoncé for Tiger Selfie

Despite not being on Tinder (presumably — you never know), the Carter-Knowles family took the opportunity to pose with an adorable baby tiger during their recent trip to Thailand. The tiger, who lives at Phuket’s FantaSea theme park, was photographed being stroked by Beyoncé and gazed at with apprehension by Jay Z and Blue Ivy; a fine day for you and me, but, according to World Animal Protection, the experience likely was not so great for the tiger. “When you look behind the scenes, vacation snaps like these support an industry that relies on animal cruelty,” the organization’s Dr. Jan Schmidt-Burbach said in a statement. “Many tourists unwittingly contribute to the suffering of wild animals like these. They’re simply not aware that their ‘once in a lifetime’ photo means a lifetime of misery for that animal.” Beyoncé’s elephant ride also came in for criticism, with One Green Planet reminding the singer, “there is an incredible amount of suffering involved in Thai elephant tourism.”

Beyoncé’s Baby-Tiger Photo Draws Criticism