Actor Zac Efron is under attack by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) after appearing in an advertisement with a bear that has spent its entire life in captivity.
PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Welfare Debbie Metzler is imploring Efron to “come down to Earth” and recognize that bears belong with their families, not on the television screen, according to a report by TMZ.
In the ad, Efron, who has been named Chief Brand Officer for Kodiak Cakes, is seen in an ad for the company sitting on a bench in a park, talking to a bear that appears to react to what he is saying.
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The 27-year-old bear named Tank was reportedly born in captivity and taken from a breeder at just six weeks old. The bear was also featured on the Discovery+ Show Man Vs. Bear.
Metzler believes that during the advertisement, Efron forgot to ask the bear: “How wrong is it to use a captive bear to promote ‘keeping bears wild’?” — referring to the limited-time collaboration Kodiak Cakes is running with the actor.
The collaboration promises a dollar-for-dollar match of their “Keep It Wild” merch will go directly to the Vital Ground Foundation, a nonprofit that supports the preservation of wild grizzly bear habitats.
PETA, however, is not pleased with the ad, saying, “It’s hypocritical to exploit one animal to potentially help another. No true conservation group would ever force captive animals to perform tricks for the camera in order to raise awareness about their wild counterparts.”
The organization is urging for the promotional ads to be removed or replaced with one that instead uses a computer-generated bear, adding that Efron should be able to influence the company to make that decision.
Efron is not the only individual PETA has a problem with.
Recently, the organization welcomed Dr. Anthony Fauci’s recent retirement announcement, as PETA has accused the doctor of having “harmed millions of animals,” while calling on him to “leave now” and make room for a “forward-thinking leader” in his place.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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