Zac Efron has come a long way from his High School Musical days. The actor has made a name for himself in Hollywood by playing roles in films such as Baywatch, Neighbours, The Greatest Showman, and The Lucky One. Considering the star’s popularity, it is no surprise that he is offered to advertise products for several companies. However, recently one of his advertisements became the subject of harsh criticism.

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Zac Efron’s latest co-star is a grizzly bear

Zac Efron
Zac Efron with his newest co-star

The actor appeared in an advertisement for a pancake company known as Kodiak Cakes. In the advertisement, theĀ Neighbours actor is shown talking to a grizzly bear about day-to-day things such as dating, football, and food, among others. The ad was for the “Keep It Wild” campaign by Kodiak Cakes, under which every dollar spent on the purchase of the company’s products would be equated to a donation to Vital Ground Foundation, an NGO that ensures the protection of grizzly bears, as well as their surroundings and habitat.

It is a normal advertisement that you would see on TV while scrolling through the channels. However, the animal rights organization PETA is not a fan of the ad.

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PETA’s director criticizes Zac Efron for starring in the advertisement

Zac Efron
Zac Efron receives criticism from PETA

The organization’s director, Debbie Metzler, criticized Zac Efron for the advertisement and stated to TMZ that he needs to “come down to earth.” PETA’s criticism of the ad stems from the fact that the bear was bred in captivity.

PETA said that the company should have used CGI to depict the animal since using a captive animal in the ad defeats the purpose of the ad. Using a CGI bear would have allowed the company to donate to the foundation without exploiting the bear. The foundation stated,

“It’s hypocritical to exploit one animal to potentially help another. No true conservation group would ever force captive animals to perform tricks for the camera in order to raise awareness about their wild counterparts.”

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Twitter defends Zac Efron after PETA calls out the actor

Zac Efron
Twitter defends the actor

However, PETA’s criticism of the actor was opposed by Twitter users.

PETA is known for calling our celebrities for their problematic behavior toward animals. However, the actor seems to be ignoring the criticism since he hasn’t responded to the organization’s statements yet.

Source: Marca

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