In an unusual request, Porsche Cars North America asked its dealers not to use live tigers for promotional purposes regarding the Macan crossover, after animal-rights activists opposed the plans.
Big Cat Rescue non-profit organization told Porsche that the Tampa, Florida-based Reeves Import Motorcars dealership used live tiger cubs during a May 2 event dedicated to the Macan. As you probably know, Macan is derived from the Indonesian word for tiger.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) also reached out to Porsche on May 5 regarding the Florida dealer’s promotion. The next day, Porsche advised its North American dealers to drop all plans to use live tigers for Macan promoting purposes.
“Porsche does not condone in any way the use of live animals for advertising,” Nick Twork, Porsche’s manager of product communications, was quoted as saying by Automotive News. According to Susan Bass, director of public relations for Big Cat Rescue, Reeves Import Motorcars rented tigers from Dade City’s Wild Things for the May 2 promotion.
Bass said several other North American Porsche dealers planned to rent live tigers, including Leith Porsche of North Carolina. “We first wanted to give notoriety to the animal and what it stands for,” said Jason Jones, general manager of Leith Porsche. “But when we spoke to PETA and found out about the transportation and poor treatment… it was not something we wanted to be a part of,” he added.
In the dealers’ defense, I would say that not every Porsche dealership can afford to hire Maria Sharapova (pictured below) to promote the Macan. Anyway, Big Cat Rescue was happy with Porsche’s response to its concerns and even went on to recommend its supporters to buy a Porsche.
By Dan Mihalascu
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