Bowmanville Zoo owner Michael Hackenburger is under fire after PETA released a video Tuesday which allegedly shows him mistreating a tiger during training.
In the video, Hackenberger shouts profanities at the tiger as he is repeatedly seen swinging a whip toward the animal.
A spokesperson for PETA told Global News they have turned everything they have over to the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
“The Ontario SPCA has all of our evidence including all of the footage — every second of our footage — and they are investigating,” PETA foundation deputy director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Brittany Peet told Global News.
An OSPCA spokesperson confirmed that they are looking into the allegations but could not provide any further comment.
“We have started an investigation into the matter, but it is too early in the case to provide any further information,” Allison Cross, the OSPCA’s Director, Marketing and Communications told Global News through email.
Later in the video, Hackenberger is seen allegedly stating that, “I like hitting him in the face. And the paws, being on the rock, when you hit him, it’s like a vice.”
He is also seen allegedly stating if PETA ever saw the training session, the zoo could be in trouble.
“If we’d been running a videotape of the times I struck this animal, PETA would burn this place to the ground.”
Global News has not independently verified the PETA video.
The Bowmanville Zoo has not yet responded to a request from Global News for comment on the PETA video but did release a lengthy Youtube video to tell their side of the story.
In the Youtube video, Hackenberger denies ever having said, “I like hitting him in the face.”
The zoo owner said, “that was taken from somewhere. That is something that PETA has created and put in there. I did not say those words. I did not.”
Hackenburger also says the three-minute video was cut down from “at least an hour-and-a-half that we know was filmed by the PETA plant.”
He admits that he struck the animal twice but that most of his swings fell near the animal.
“I got him twice, but after that, every whip of the whip you see, I do not strike the animal,” Hackenburger said.
He later says, “You will see that I do not strike him, I strike the ground beside him.”
WATCH: ‘PETA once again is lying’: Ontario zookeeper roars back at allegations
“A tiger will not lay on the ground and allow itself to be struck as this (PETA) videotape suggests. It will turn around and it will try to kill you. That’s not what we are about”
This is not the first time Hackenberger has come under fire for aggressive actions toward his animals.
On Aug. 28th, he was a guest on City-TVs morning show Breakfast Television when he was caught swearing a baboon which jumped from a pony it was riding.
“No, no, no, you c—s—–,” he called the primate. “Get back up.”
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