Bowmanville Zoo owner refutes PETA video showing him whipping tiger

The owner of the Bowmanville Zoological Park is vehemently denying that he viciously whipped a tiger, saying he’s the one under attack from animal rights activists.

The group, People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), released a video recorded by one of its members showing Michael Hackenberger trying to control the animal, which seems to be disobeying commands.

The video begins with Hackenberger cursing at the leashed tiger while another trainer tries to control it.

He then begins furiously snapping a whip while the animal falls to the ground with its paws up in a defensive pose.

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On its website, PETA claims the video shows Hackenberger, who is also a Hollywood animal trainer, “viciously whipping” the Siberian tiger “20 times in a row during a savage training session.”

Hackenberger, who gained a measure of infamy for angrily swearing at a monkey during a live hit on Breakfast Television, insists he didn’t lash the tiger in the way PETA described on its website.

He admitted in a video response posted to YouTube that he gave the animal two quick swats to bring it into compliance, but after that he says he was whipping the ground around the tiger.

“I got him twice, but after that … I do not strike the animal,” he says. “You will see that I do not strike him, I strike the ground beside him.”

“You can see I’m not hitting the animal, he’s not responding … a tiger will not lay on the ground and allow itself to be struck as this (PETA) videotape suggests … That’s not what we’re about.”

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The PETA video also shows Hackenberger seemingly discussing techniques for animal discipline, although there’s no context provided and it’s not clear if he’s talking about the tiger incident.

“Cause I like hitting him in the face,” he says. “And the paws, being on the rock, when you hit him, it’s like a vice … It stings more.”

Hackenberger says the only thing he’s really guilty of is cursing.

“So maybe I viciously whipped the ground. Maybe I viciously whipped the air but I did not viciously whip the tiger. PETA is once again lying.”

“My language? Foul. Horrible. I didn’t strike the tiger, except twice to get him turned around.”

Massimo Bergamini, executive director of Canada’s Accredited Zoos and Aquariums, said Wednesday that the organization was going to investigate the matter.

“The welfare of the animals in care of our accredited member institutions is our paramount concern,” Bergamini said in a statement. “After viewing the edited video, we have decided to bring the matter before our Ethics Committee for investigation.”

The organization expects a decision soon.

“The issues raised by the video are serious and require a thorough and fair review,” Bergamini said.