PETA holds protest at ‘Zookeeper’ premiere in honor of giraffe who died on set

Protesters from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals attended the premiere of The Zookeeper at the Regency Village Theatre in Los Angeles, California on Wednesday, wielding signs and decrying the upcoming comedy film over allegations of cruelty.

PETA activists protested the premiere in honor of Tweet the giraffe, who passed away during production after wrapping up his scenes in September 2009. It was reported that trainers displayed negligence by failing to act when they spotted the giraffe eating pieces of blue tarp on set.

“PETA finds the use of all wild animals in film and television objectionable, but this movie is even more egregious given the controversial death of a giraffe,” animal behavior specialist Julia Gallucci told The Orlando Sentinel in a statement.

Director Frank Coraci refuted PETA’s claims of animal cruelty on the red carpet, revealing that their campaign did not damper his enthusiasm for The Zookeeper’s upcoming release.

“I am completely secure with what happened on our set and believe we did everything we could to treat the animals well,” he told Entertainment Weekly at last night’s event.

“They do not have a leg to stand on because we worked with people who love their animals and [the American] Humane Association was there to ensure that they were being treated correctly. We didn’t do anything that we shouldn’t do. We treated the animals with love and respect.”

The Zookeeper, starring Kevin James, Rosario Dawson, and Leslie Bibb, opens in theaters nationwide tomorrow.