A prom in a school in Miami turned wild, quite literally, after its organisers decided to bring a full-grown tiger to the "jungle-themed" party.
According to ABC News, the theme of this year's Christopher Columbus High School prom was "Welcome to the Jungle", which was held on May 11 night. The event took place at the DoubleTree Hotel at the Miami International Airport.
Several parents were upset with the organisers' decision to bring in a caged tiger, and a few took to social media to slam the school.
Marie-Christine Castellanos, a student's sister shared a video on Facebook while describing the incident 'shameful'.
She wrote: How shameful for Christopher Columbus High school ...showing its students on prom night who is the "king of the jungle " this poor tiger was used as an EXOTIC amusement for the mindless teenagers who were present, it is not the student fault to be so naive BUT it's the CCHS STAFF who arranged this event ,there for they are responsible for this tigers misery."
In an interaction with CBS Miami, Castellanos said, "Tigers are wild animals. They don't need to be displayed as objects for our amusement. They don't like the fire, the cages, the music, the teenagers with the cameras, they didn't ask for that, they don't have voices."
The youngster also described that the tiger was quite agitated during the event.
She told ABC News, "The body language of the tiger showed he is not happy with the situation. He is stressed. The tiger is pacing up and down."
Apart from the tiger, a few birds, a lemur, two macaws and an African fennec fox were also displayed at the event.
In response to all the backlash, the Miami high school has released a statement on their defense. They said, "The animals were provided by facilities that are licensed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The tiger, which was displayed for a few minutes in a cage was never harmed or in danger, was not forced to perform, was always accompanied by his handlers, and for the great majority of the time was lying down in a relaxed state facing away from the audience."
