Beyoncé poses with captive tiger cub in Thailand

06/01/2015

Beyoncé has been photographed posing with a captive tiger cub while on holiday in Phuket, Thailand with her family.

Many tourists unwittingly contribute to the suffering of wild animals like tigers for that ‘once in a lifetime' photo

The tigers used for these photos are often forcibly removed from their mothers to be fed artificially by tourists. They are also crammed into tiny cages or chained to the floor for long periods. This is a far cry from their natural lives in the wild.

Tourists like Beyoncé are often unaware of the cruelty tigers suffer for these tourist attractions. That's why we recently launched the next step in our 'Before they book' campaign, to expose the truth behind the suffering of tigers posing for holiday snaps.

World Animal Protection wildlife expert Dr Jan Schmidt-Burbach said:

"A tiger is not a plaything. Their health and well-being should not be sacrificed for a photo opportunity. When you look behind the scenes, holiday snaps like these support an industry that relies on animal cruelty."

"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."

Global research shows that 50% of people who pay for a wild animal experience do so because they love animals. But we know that if these animal lovers were aware of the abuse that takes place at tiger themed tourist attractions and parks, they would never take part.

Educate tourists now. Share our video.

Image credit: iStock. by Getty Images

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