Animal organizations Stichting AAP, Stichting SPOTS, and World Animal Protection Netherlands have reacted with disbelief to a photo of Memphis Depay. The professional soccer player poses on Instagram with a young white tiger on a chain. “Stop posting animal suffering,” the organizations urge.
According to activists, the tiger photo was taken in Ghana, where tigers are not native. The tiger is therefore not staying in a responsible shelter but is possibly being kept as a ‘pet’.
In 2020, there was also an uproar when Oranje international Memphis was photographed with a ‘liger’ – a cross between a lion and a tiger. “Memphis is once again posing with a wild animal as if it were an accessory,” says a spokesperson on behalf of the organizations.
“Memphis is pictured with a young white tiger on a chain. But everyone can surely imagine that this is not a normal situation? We can only draw one conclusion: this is animal suffering.”
