The American actress who will make a splash as Ariel in next month’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid is in hot water with animal welfare advocates for posing with wildlife at a controversial Bangkok zoo.
Halle Bailey and Disney have been accused of promoting animal exploitation and cruelty in two recent incidents involving Safari World, a zoo long accused of mistreating wildlife that two decades ago was implicated in trafficking more than 100 great apes.
Photos from Bailey’s recent trip to Thailand showed the actress posing for photos in which she hugged an orangutan and bottle-fed a tiger cub. Separately, footage from Safari World was broadcast on an American television network owned by Disney showing a trained orangutan hugging a woman before kissing her and cupping her breasts.
