Anger over 'tiger skin' shots
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ANIMAL conservation groups and others are up in arms after pictures featuring Singapore actress Wong Li-Lin draped in a tiger pelt appeared in the weekly celebrity magazine 8 Days.
Among the strongest reactions were those from Singapore's branch of the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF), which has asked MediaCorp, the magazine's publisher, to print an apology.
Others criticised the magazine for sending the wrong message about a highly-endangered animal.
It is not known if the pelt was real: MediaCorp declined to answer when asked.
But WWF Singapore's managing director, Ms Amy Ho, said that whether it is real or not is beside the point.
'It sends out the wrong message about tigers and could encourage the wrong type of behaviour,' she said.
--ST
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8 DAYS editor respondsSINGAPORE - The editor-in-chief of 8 DAYS magazine has responded to concerns raised by conservationist groups over its use of photographs featuring actress Wong Li-Lin draped in a tiger pelt.
"The tiger pelt was loaned to 8 DAYS specifically for the shoot," said Ms Lau Kuan Wei.
"We do not condone the harming of animals, and the realistic appearance of the tiger skin in the photos should in no way be construed as such.
"We have received a few letters expressing concerns over the lack of political correctness. Please be assured that we do not take this feedback lightly, and regret any unintended offence caused," she added.
WWF Singapore's managing director, Ms Amy Ho, said that "whether the tiger skin used is real or not, the photographs demonstrate a lack of sensitivity to the plight of dwindling tiger populations in the wild".
Ms Wong's photographs, she added, could convey to the magazine's readers that "tiger skin as a fashion item is acceptable". "It is not," Ms Ho said.--TODAY -
Whether the tiger skin is real or not is really besides the point.
They want to usher in the Year of the Tiger by having a celebrity pose with.... a dead tiger? Wow, that's a very 'auspicious' message that they're sending out.
Seriously, why can't they just make her pose with, say, a life-size Tigger doll?