People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), one of the largest nonprofit animal-rights groups in the world, can “suck it,†according to Justin Bieber, the pop star who once had a pet Capuchin monkey he named “O.G. Mally†confiscated from him in Germany. Bieber hit back at PETA after the group criticized his recent purchase of two Savannah cats, an exotic breed that’s produced by breeding a regular cat with an African Serval cat. The breed is legally restricted or banned in 13 states, according to the Savannah Cat Association. The singer paid an Illinois breeder $35,000 for the two kittens, Sushi and Tuna, ahead of his South Carolina wedding to Hailey Baldwin, and like any doting millennial pet owner, has already made an Instagram page for them.
In a statement to People that unfortunately began with “Baby, baby, baby, nooooooo,â€Â a jokey reference to Bieber’s 2010 hit “Baby,†PETA senior vice-president Lisa Lange said, “Justin Bieber could inspire his fans around the world to save a life by adopting a cat from a local animal shelter — rather than fueling the dangerous demand for hybrid cats, contributing to the animal overpopulation crisis, and proving that when it comes to helping animals, his stance so far is ‘I don’t care.’†In his Instagram Stories on Thursday night, Bieber replied with his own statement: “PETA can suck it.â€
Though that seemed to sum up his feelings nice and succinctly, Bieber went on, arguing that PETA should “go focus on real problems,†like “poaching and animal brutality.†He also criticized the organization for not calling him out every time he paid exorbitant amounts of money for an animal instead of adopting one. “U weren’t tripping when I got my dog Oscar and he wasn’t a rescue … every pet we get must be a rescue? I believe in adopting rescues but I also think there are preferences and that’s what breeders are for.†Then, in a follow up post: “PETA go help with all of the plastic in the ocean, and leave my beautiful cats alone.†He also tagged their Instagram page, “@kittysushiandtuna.†Neither PETA nor Bieber referenced O.G. Mally, who, according to a 2018 Babe (RIP) report, is still struggling to adapt to life at Germany’s Serengeti Wildlife Park.
Anyway, Sushi and Tuna already have over 243,000 followers on Instagram.