Beyoncé and Jay Z have been accused of promoting cruelty to animals after the celebrity couple shared a photo of them feeding a tiger cub.
Earlier this week, Beyoncé, 33, shared a snap with her Instagram fans showing her, rapper Jay Z, 44, and daughter Blue Ivy - who turned three yesterday (January 7) – bottle feeding the cub while on holiday in Phuket, Thailand.
But animal rights champions slammed the parents, telling Closer: "A tiger is not a plaything."
They said that many of the tiger cubs who live in the attractions have been separated from their mothers and are forced to behave with beatings and drugs so that tourists can take photos with them.
World Animal Protection wildlife expert Dr Jan Schmidt-Burbach told the magazine: "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 'one in a lifetime' photo means a lifetime of misery for that animal.
"The tigers used for these photos are often crammed into tiny cages or chained to the floor for long periods.
"They are also forcibly removed from their mothers to be fed artificially by tourists. All in a far cry from their natural lives in the wild."
The view was supported by many of Beyoncé's Instagram followers.
One remarked: "Baby tigers aren't meant to be fed by humans by bottle. You wouldn't want someone drugging your baby for their entertainment, would you? Dig a little deeper, Beyonce. Don't contribute to animal cruelty."
Another added: "I can see why some people think this is a cute picture, but thats a wrong assumption! This is animal cruelty! What we don't see behind the scenes of a 'turist animal selfie' like this, are animals, like this baby tiger, who are drugged, their teeth and claws are removed etc."