Gucci slammed online by animal rights activists for using real tigers in ad campaign shoot
India Today
Gucci got slammed online by several animal rights activists for using real tigers in their recent ad campaign shoot.
Italian luxury fashion house Gucci has been receiving flak on social media for using real tigers in their advertising campaign. The label launched the Gucci Tiger Collection earlier this month to celebrate the Chinese Year of The Tiger, starting from 1st February. Their decision to use real tigers for the shoot has left many animal rights activists angry, including the founder of Big Cat Rescue, Carole Baskin and PETA among others.
One of the photos from Gucci’s recent campaign shows two tigers, one perched on a piano and another one posing on a rug. A tiger is also seen walking in another clip shared by Gucci on Instagram.
Animal activist Carole Baskin called it the worst possible message. “This sort of ad campaign sends the worst possible message; which is that tigers are disposable products to be used for capitalism and discarded at will," she told Yahoo News. She further added that it diminishes the magnificence of the tiger and makes Gucci look bad.
World Animal Protection US also took to Twitter to express their dismay. "Gucci is sending the wrong message by promoting tigers as pets and luxury items when they are wild animals who belong in the wild,” the tweet reads.
Earlier this month, The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) also slammed Gucci on Twitter.
When will Gucci learn that animals are not props!Tweet at @gucci and tell them to STOP using wild animals in their ads. pic.twitter.com/QnH7xjtZzS
Several netizens also took to the comments section of Gucci's posts to express their thoughts. "Please leave the wildlife in the wild," a user wrote. "Tigers are beautiful in nature, not marketing campaigns," reads another comment.
