Katy Perry is under fire after telling her teacup poodle, Nugget (sister to Butters), to “go chase some koalas” in an Australian advert.
The segment is part of a larger promotional campaign by Australian retail chain Myer, offering viewers the chance to win free tickets to Perry’s upcoming Witness tour.
As Queensland wildlife vet Claire Madden told Brisbane newspaper The Courrier-Mail, dog attacks against koalas are a very real problem. According to an Australian Department of Environment report, an average of 110 koalas are killed by dogs each year in Queensland alone.
“Perry is a role model to so many young people, and this just destroys all the good work we do to try to encourage people not to let their dogs come into contact with koalas,” Madden said. “Katy Perry I challenge you to come and spend a day with me (a wildlife vet) and learn first hand why your comment should NOT be streamed across the nation.”
According to that same environmental report, “dogs over 10kg were responsible for 96 per cent of attacks on koalas.” Nugget, being a micro teacup poodle, likely weighs in at well under 10kg, and seems more like a lover than a fighter. Regardless, Madden condemned the ad as “sheer ignorance” and “inappropriate on so many levels.”
A Myer spokesperson told The Courrier-Mail that the retailer is in the process of removing the controversial ad spot: “We are aware of comments in relation to Katy Perry’s Witness: The Tour advertisement and a particular reference made to koalas. We are currently removing the material which references koalas.”
Katy and Nugget are yet to comment publicly. Though the singer’s recently released new single, “Swish Swish,” offers the following animal-related sentiments: “A tiger don’t need opinions from a shellfish or a sheep. Don’t you come for me.”
Related: Watch Katy Perry on VICELAND’s The Therapist.
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Text Alice Newell-Hanson