Rebel Wilson leaves animal rights activists outraged after she holds a wombat and performs squats during a recent visit to Sydney Zoo
Rebel Wilson upset animal rights activists after she shared a video of herself lifting a wombat during a visit to Sydney Zoo late last month.
The 40-year-old actress posted the video of herself performing squats while using a hefty wombat as a weight, grunting through the motions on Instagram Stories.
But the World Animal Protection organisation took offence to the videos, claiming they were ‘disappointed’ by her actions.
Outrage: Rebel Wilson has (pictured) upset animal rights activists after she shared a video of herself lifting a wombat during a visit to Sydney Zoo late last month
‘We are disappointed to see Rebel Wilson handling Australian wildlife with such disregard for their wellbeing,’ the organisation’s executive director Simone Clarke told News.com.au on Monday.
‘Wombats are not a photo prop or plaything, they are sentient beings, and experience distress when handled by humans.’
Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Rebel’s management with request for comment.
Heavy lifting: The 40-year-old actress shared a videos of herself performing squats while using a hefty wombat as a weight, grunting through the motions on Instagram Stories
Speaking out: The World Animal Protection organisation took offence to the video, claiming they were ‘disappointed’ by her actions
Showing off her recent reported 18-kilo weight loss, Rebel lifted the animal in a since-expired video posted on her Instagram Stories.
She captioned the video: ‘This wombat workout was supervised by trained professionals’.
Rebel showed off her slimmed-down frame in a black long-sleeved shirt and shiny tights.
‘We are disappointed to see Rebel Wilson handling Australian wildlife with such disregard for their wellbeing,’ the organisation’s executive director Simone Clarke told News.com.au
The star shared a number of photos from the zoo, which she attended alongside her friend and personal trainer, Jon Castano.
Rebel looked absolutely delighted as she played with meerkats and red pandas, giggling while the animals crawled around her.
She explained in the caption: ‘Okay I am going off social media – like starting from now. But I did have to show you guys stuff from my day at Sydney Zoo…’
Born to be wild: The star shared a number of photos from the zoo, which she attended alongside her friend and personal trainer, Jon Castano