Celebrity endorsements help sell everything from sneakers to botox, but the latest round of celebrity endorsements is helping to sell something else: anti-hunting messages. Miley Cyrus is the latest in a long line of anti-hunting celebrities who is adding her face – and popularity – to the mix; this time, with a dig at British Columbia’s decision to cull wolves in order to save caribou.
Taking to Instagram, Cyrus has launched an attack at BC’s wolf management plan – one aimed at saving endangered caribou from the hearty predators. Since January, the province has killed 84 wolves to lessen predation on four of the seven mountain caribou herds that border on extinction. There are only 70 animals remaining, according to CBC News. While wolves may not be the main reason that herds are diminishing – Canadian officials chalk that up to habitat loss and human encroachment – the wolves play a major role in the decline of the already faltering herds, which means that a strong management plan is necessary for the caribou to survive.
Yet thousands are now signing a petition created by the advocacy group Pacific Wild because of Cyrus’s sudden interest in the issue.
"I am shameless when it comes to making changes in a world that at times needs to re-evaluate its morals when dealing with kindness and compassion towards animals, humanity, and the environment," Cyrus wrote on Instagram. "We can't let another winter pass us by without stopping this mass extermination!"
With nearly 200,000 signatures as of Wednesday evening, the petition could derail BC’s five-year wolf/caribou management plan – a plan that was designed based on scientific information, not misaligned celebrity judgment.