Wearing only painted-on tiger stripes, cover model Ornusa Cadness is shown alongside the words "It's the Year of for the Tiger: Boycott Zoos" in a sexy People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Asia ad that is being re-released just in time for the Chinese New Year.

Cadness - who is of Thai and New Zealand heritage - was named one of the top 10 most beautiful women by Mega magazine. She has also appeared in numerous other publications and was featured on the covers of Uno and Maxim magazines. Ace photographer Xander Angeles shot the ad and Brillante Mendoza took time out from his busy schedule to design the set. Tattoo artist Gene Testa and makeup stylist Leo Posadas also worked on the ad.

In celebration of the Year of the Tiger, Cadness and PETA Asia are encouraging people to treat tigers with respect by refusing to patronize zoos. Tigers in zoos are kept in pens that don't come close to replicating their natural homes.

In the wild, an adult tiger's territory can cover more than 160 square kilometers, but the entire Manila Zoo measures only 0.055 square kilometers. Even the biggest zoos cannot provide the space, exercise, privacy, and mental stimulation required to satisfy wild animals' complex needs.

The physical and mental frustration experienced by animals in captivity often leads to a type of mental illness - called "zoochosis" - which is characterized by abnormal, neurotic and self-destructive behavior.

"We are asking Filipinos to celebrate the Year of the Tiger by refusing to patronize zoos that keep these magnificent animals confined to cramped and barren concrete pens," says PETA campaigner Christine Li. "What amounts to a few fleeting moments of 'entertainment' for zoo visitors results from a lifetime of misery for tigers and other animals." - Frontline.PH

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