A Porsche dealer in Florida has been stopped from using tiger cubs to promote the new Macan crossover after complaints from the animal rights group PETA.
Riffing on the Macan name, which is derived from the Indonesian word for "tiger," the Tampa, Fl., dealership had been working with 3-week-old baby tigers for various photo opportunities, Jalopnik reported via The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
According to PETA, the tiger cubs were "schlepped around" for the photo gigs and at risk of becoming stressed, neglected and malnourished especially at such a young age.
The group received a swift response from Porsche, which has since put the kibosh on using tigers in any promotional events.
"Within one business day, we heard back from Porsche's vice president for marketing, who assured us that Porsche shares our concerns when it comes to the ethical treatment of any animal, large or small, wild or domesticated," PETA reported.
After the complaint, a Georgia dealership abandoned plans to include a full-grown tiger at sales launch events scheduled for this week.
"I had plans to have a 500-pound tiger in attendance, not baby tiger cubs," Mark Venti, general manager at Hennessy Porsche North Atlanta, told the Journal-Constitution on Monday. "Due to the concerns brought up by PETA and Porsche Headquarters, we have decided to abandon those plans," Venti told the paper in an email.
Starting at $50,895, the Porsche Macan has been available in Europe and the Middle East since April and is scheduled to hit dealerships in Atlanta on May 16.
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