Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson's Zoo Targeted by PETA

[Teh One Who Knocks]

by Marc Malkin - E! Online




Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson shouldn't be surprised if they get a call from Leonardo DiCaprio.

Just this morning, DiCaprio took to his Twitter to express his dismay over the horrific slaughter of escaped wild animals in Ohio.

But what does this have to do with Damon and Johansson?

Well, their new movie, We Bought a Zoo, is now being targeted PETA for the very same reason.

Based on Benjamin Mee's memoir, the film stars Damon as a father who moves his family to the countryside to help save a struggling zoo. Johansson plays a keeper at the animal park, which is home to an assortment of lions, tigers, zebras and bears, among other creatures.

PETA says it has sent a letter to Zoo director Cameron Crowe urging him to include a warning at the end of the movie about the dangers of owning wild animals.

"We Bought a Zoo conveys the misleading and downright dangerous message that no special knowledge—just a lot of heart—is needed to run a zoo," PETA's Lisa Lange said in a statement.

"As the tragedy in Ohio gruesomely illustrates, wild animals aren't Disney characters. They have very special needs that all too often aren't met by people who buy them on a whim because they think it would be cool to own a tiger."

PETA has asked Crowe to also insist that 20th Century Fox, the studio behind the film, include warnings on all marketing materials, including movie posters.

There are up to 15,000 captive big cats in the U.S., mostly privately owned, according to the animal rights group.

A rep for Fox did not immediately comment.

[Hal-9000]

Matt and Scarlett are actors, they can do anything

[fricnjay]

Someone needs to slaughter peta.

[PorkChopSandwiches]

Can I just say STFU!