PETA puts Zac Efron on BLAST after appearing in an ad campaign with a bear that has spent its entire life in captivity.
The organization urges Zac to “come down to earth” and recognize that bears belong to their families, not on screen… according to Debbie Metzlerdirector of the PETA Foundation for the welfare of animals in captivity.
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She thinks Zac, who has been appointed brand manager for Kodiak Cakes, forgot to ask Tank the Bear an important question in his latest commercial for the company: “Is it wrong to use a bear in captivity? to promote “keep the bears wild”?”
BTW – Tank, 27, was born in captivity and was taken from a breeder at just 6 weeks old…he was featured on the Discovery+ Show, “Man Vs. Bear”.
Kodiak Cakes is hosting a limited-time collaboration with Zac, where dollar-for-dollar consideration of their “Keep It Wild” merch will go directly to the Vital Ground Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports the preservation of wild grizzly bear habitats.
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PETA, however, clapped back at the promo, saying… “It’s hypocritical to exploit one animal to potentially help another. No real conservation group already making captive animals perform tricks for the camera to raise awareness of their wild counterparts.
The organization is calling for the ads to be removed or replaced with CGI… adding that Zac should be able to make that call after assuming his influential role at the company.