Zoo owner whose tiger featured in Life Of Pi charged with animal cruelty after he was filmed whipping the animal
- Michael Hackenberger was caught on video savagely beating a tiger
- World-renowned trainer supplied animals for top Hollywood movies
- Hackenberger described using a whip on tigers and a stick on wolves
- He has resigned as owner of the Bowmanville Zoological Park in Ontario
- Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has filed charges
The world-renowned animal trainer who was filmed by undercover animal activists savagely beating a tiger has now been charged with animal cruelty.
In December PETA released a video purporting to show Michael Hackenberger, the owner of Bowmanville Zoological Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, inflicting cruel blows on a tiger while boasting of his training methods.
Hackenberger resigned from his post at the zoo this week and now faces five charges of animal cruelty.
One of the allegations against the trainer is causing 'the animal distress by pushing his thumb into the animal's eye'.
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Michael Hackenberger, the owner of Bowmanville Zoological Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, has been charged with five counts of animal cruelty
Hackenberger was caught on undercover video by PETA detailing the violent methods he uses to discipline his animals
Hackenberger supplied the tiger for the hit 2012 film Life of Pi, and also trained animals for the James Franco movie, The Interview.
In the shocking footage posted online last month, Hackenberger could be heard saying: 'I like hitting [the tiger] in the face. And the paws … being on the rock, when you hit him, it's like a vice.
'It stings more.'
He adds: 'If we'd been running a videotape the whole time you were here, and you did a 45 second montage of the times I struck this animal, PETA would burn this place to the ground.'
In the video Hackenberger describes using the whip against the Siberian tiger 'Uno' as a 'disincentive,' claiming punishment is the only way to force an animal to perform.
The Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has now formally filed the animal cruelty charges against Hackenberger.
In the shocking footage posted online last month, Hackenberger was reportedly filmed beating a tiger
The Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has now formally filed the animal cruelty charges against Hackenberger, following the release of this footage
Senior Inspector from The Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Jennifer Bluhm, said: 'The videos of Mr Hackenberger interacting with Uno, the Siberian tiger, provides a basis on which to lay charges.
'Animal cruelty is a serious offense.
'Our investigative unit has spent significant time reviewing the facility and interviewing all involved.
'Our priority is always the health and welfare of the animals.'
PETA President Ingrid Newkirk added: 'We are pleased that criminal charges have been brought against Michael Hackenberger for the abuse of a tiger used in his exploitive zoo shows, and we hope that this case will result in an end to his torment of animals made to suffer for human entertainment.
'Hackenberger has supplied animals for numerous TV shows and films, including Life of Pi and The Interview.
'PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that 'animals are not ours to use for entertainment'—reported his abuse of the tiger named Uno in December 2015.'
Life of Pi: Hackenberger famously trained this tiger, which starred as 'Richard Parker' in Ang Lee's adaptation of Yann Martel's bestselling novel
Michael Hackenberger announced his resignation from the zoo yesterday, thanking his supporters and maintaining his innocence
In a statement posted on the Bowmanville Zoo's Facebook page, Michael Hackenberger announced his resignation yesterday, adding: 'While I am not guilty of the charges against me, the welfare of the zoo and the animals that it serves has always been my principal concern.
'To this end I am standing down from the position of Director of Bowmanville Zoo until such time as this legal matter is resolved.
'To all who have reached out in support I thank you. Your encouragement has been a tonic in these difficult times.'
If convicted, Hackenberger could face a maximum sentence of two years in jail, a $66,000 fine and a possible lifetime ban on owning an animal, according to Ontario SPCA spokeswoman Alison Cross.
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