Update: PETA Blasts Justin Bieber’s Lion Cub Pics

Update: As expected, PETA is not happy with the Biebs right now. The group issued this statement to Refinery29. "Nearly three weeks after posing with animals from an outfit whose owner is facing five counts of cruelty for mercilessly whipping a tiger, Justin Bieber is at it again," PETA senior vice president Lisa Lange said. "He apparently posed with the same baby lion who had been paraded at his father's engagement party and torn away from his mother shortly after birth — putting his life at risk so that he could be exploited for photo ops with clueless celebrities. This is cruelty, not conservation, and it's time for Bieber to say 'Sorry' for endorsing the sleazy exotic-animals trade." World Animal Protection has also weighed in with a statement.

“Show business is no business for wild animals — it’s disappointing to see Justin Bieber yet again posing with a wild animal despite the welfare concerns and the cruelty involved in stunts like this. Lions belong in the wild, where their needs can be fully met, not in captivity for use as entertainment or photo props. "People posing with wildlife don’t realize that a ‘once in a lifetime’ photo for them means a lifetime of misery for the animal. To be used for entertainment, lions are forcibly removed from their mothers as cubs, trained to perform, and often suffer for the rest of their lives in captivity. They are also highly unpredictable, with people around the world having been mauled or attacked when posing or interacting with these animals. To people with huge influence like Justin Bieber, our message is simple: lions are wild animals, not entertainers.”

This article was originally published at 11:15 a.m. Justin Bieber continues to be at one with nature. This time, though, he's moved from trees to big cats. Earlier this month the Canadian singer irked PETA by posing with a tiger at his father's engagement party in Toronto. The animal rights organization doesn't take kindly to exotic animals being used for entertainment. They also pointed out that the owner of the tiger's zoo had recently been accused of animal cruelty. But Bieber clearly isn't bowing down to the criticism. New photos posted by "serial entrepreneur" Alex Haditaghi show the pop star feeding a white lion cub from a bottle before his concert this week in Toronto. "Justin really cares about the conservation of these beautiful animals," Haditaghi posted on Instagram. "He is truly a class act and awesome guy!" Incidentally, both the cub and Haditaghi are named Alex.