Pop Star Justin Bieber has landed in hot water with animal rights activists after posing with a tiger at his father’s engagement party in Toronto.

The “Sorry” singer posted a picture of himself petting a large tiger on a leash over the weekend.

PETA swiftly responded by sending Bieber a letter informing him that the Tiger appears to have come from the Bowmanville Zoo, which has come under fire over animal cruelty charges.

"Justin Bieber is lucky not to have had his throat torn out by this stressed captive tiger," PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange said in a statement Monday. "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.”

In an email, PETA said the markings of the tiger in Bieber's photo are identical to those of Robbie, another tiger from the Bowmanville Zoo known to be used for encounters with the public.

The Bowmanville Zoo said in an email that it “could not confirm or deny” that Robbie was the tiger in the photo.

In its statement, PETA said it urges people not to take photos with large cats and asked Bieber to vow not to do so in the future.

In addition to incurring the wrath of PETA, thousands of people also chimed in on Instagram to chastise Bieber for the photo.

“Tigers don't belong on the end of a leash! Do you think this tiger is happily laying there by choice being petted by numerous humans?” one user wrote.

“This tiger is so drugged, all for a picture,” another user commented.

Last month the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) filed five animal cruelty charges against Bowmanville Zoo owner Michael Hackenberger after a video emerged of Hackenberger whipping a Siberian tiger.

In a statement at the time, the zoo said it is “very disappointed” with the OSPCA’s decision to pursues charges.

“We find these charges to be completely unwarranted and unsupported by the actual facts surrounding the allegations against Mr. Hackenberger,” the zoo said.

Hackenberger has stepped aside as the zoo’s director as he fights the charges.

Bieber has not publicly issued a response to the criticism of his Instagram post so far.

This isn’t the first time that Bieber has taken heat over his love for animals.

In 2013, German customs officials confiscated his pet monkey in Munich, saying he was unable to produce proper documentation for the animal.

 

 

A photo posted by Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) on