‘The Hills’ Are Alive With the Sound of … Angry Tigers?

Thanks go out to all the vigilant animal defenders who contacted us about a recent episode of MTV’s The Hills, which showed a caged tiger pacing in a parking lot outside of Les Deux, a Los Angeles nightclub. During the show, Kristin Cavallari squealed that she wanted to touch the big cat. Had she done so, she might have been headed to the emergency room instead of the dance floor.

Back in May, we were alerted to this dreadful situation by an anonymous tipster, and we wrote to Les Deux. We pointed out that while tigers in the wild roam for miles as they hunt and raise their young, imprisoned animals can only pace back and forth as they go crazy from their unnatural confines. Their lives are filled with frustration, anxiety, and fear.

We’re glad to report that PETA heard back from Lonnie Moore, who assured us that Les Deux will never again feature such a display, and added, “I am embarrassed and disappointed it ever happened in the first place.” Plus, the Dolce Group, owner of Les Deux, has placed a statement on its Web site reading, “Dolce Group has enacted a policy that prohibits the exhibition of exotic animals at all of our businesses. The recent episode of The Hills which features a tiger at Les Deux was filmed prior to enacting an official policy. We have assured PETA that this will never happen again.”

This is a perfect example of why it’s so important to reach out to and enlighten others about animal issues. Please take a minute to thank Moore for his compassion. Then take a moment to learn about other ways you can help animals.

Written by Karin Bennett