Justin Bieber has been warned not to pose with exotic animals.
The 22-year-old singer has received a letter from the Toronto Animal Service, who said they had received complaints over him posing with a white lion club backstage at a gig in the Canadian city in May, and posting a picture of him petting a Bengal tiger at his father Jeremy Bieber and his partner Chelsea Rebelo’s engagement party in April.
According to TMZ, the TAS warned the ‘Sorry’ hitmaker it is illegal to have exotic cats within city limits and issued a stern warning for future visits, advising taking pictures of the animals could get them seized.
And animal rights organisation PETA have slammed the Bowmanville Zoo, who reportedly provided the big cats.
They said: "No reputable animal-care facility lends out exotic animals for private parties and Instagram photos."
After his meeting with the lion cub, millionaire businessman and animal lover Alex Haditaghi claimed Justin wanted to adopt one of the creatures.
Alex said: "I was amazed how great he was with animals — how caring he was."
He went on to explain how the ‘What Do You Mean’ hitmaker is keen to stay in the animal’s life.
He added: "We still haven’t figured out if it’s an adoption or sponsorship."
The 38-year-old businessman is hoping to open a "1,000 to 2,000 acre" animal sanctuary in either Florida, Arizona, or Canada by the end of the year and thinks Justin would be a great spokesperson.
Justin previously ran into trouble with authorities in 2013 when his pet monkey was confiscated by customs officers.
The ‘Believe’ singer refused to listen to all his advisors who told him not to take OG Mally – an unexpected birthday gift – with him to Germany, only for the creature to be seized and placed under quarantine shortly after he arrived in Munich.
But Justin later insisted he had done nothing wrong as he had the right documentation for his unusual pet.
He said: "Honestly, everyone told me not to bring the monkey. Everybody.
"Everyone told me not to bring the monkey. I was like, ‘It’s gonna be fine, guys!’ It was the farthest thing from fine.
"In Germany, that monkey’s endangered or something … but I had the papers.
"I even had it written out that he was a circus monkey and he could travel and all that s**t. I had all the right papers. Things get twisted."
Justin was given until May 7 2013 to produce the proper paperwork for the capuchin monkey, but after he failed to respond, German officials demanded $8,000 to cover the cost of relocating OG Mally to a zoo, and the creature now lives at the Serengeti Park in Copenhagen.
Justin Bieber’s lion warning
