It's no surprise that PETA is divisive, not only in their beliefs but also in their approach to sharing those beliefs. But it seems they went tooooooo far when they chose Steve Irwin's birthday to call out the famed animal lover for apparent harassment of animals. And people all over the internet were NOT impressed. Check out some of the most hilarious and savage reactions below. READ ALSO: 8 Things To Do In Montreal On St. Patrick's Day 2019 TL;DR After a Steve Irwin doodle was present on Google for the Australian's birthday, PETA felt the need to call out Irwin's animal practices... which caused the entire rest of the Internet to call out PETA... big time. Reactions below. This is the initial tweet that PETA sent out in reaction to the Google Doodle that was present on the search engine in celebration of Steve Irwin's birthday. #SteveIrwin was killed while harassing a ray; he dangled his baby while feeding a crocodile & wrestled wild animals who were minding their own business. Today’s #GoogleDoodle sends a dangerous, fawning message. Wild animals are entitled to be left alone in their natural habitats. https://t.co/9JfJiBhGLw — PETA (@peta) February 22, 2019 They then reacted to the many responses with the following tweets. Steve Irwin’s actions were not on target with his supposed message of protecting wildlife. A real wildlife expert & someone who respects animals for the individuals they are leaves them to their own business in their natural homes. — PETA (@peta) February 23, 2019 It is harassment to drag exotic animals, including babies taken from their mothers, around from TV talk shows to conferences & force them to perform as Steve Irwin did. Animals deserve to live as they want to, not as humans demand––the #GoogleDoodle should represent that. — PETA (@peta) February 23, 2019 Along with this tweet earlier on in the day, perhaps before they decided to call Irwin out by name. Forcing animals to perform is wrong 🎪Forcing animals to perform is wrong 🐘Forcing animals to perform is wrong 🎪Forcing animals to perform is wrong 🐻Forcing animals to perform is wrong 🎪Forcing animals to perform is wrong 🐯Forcing animals to perform is wrong 🎪 — PETA (@peta) February 22, 2019 The responses that people had for the PETA tweets were... less than understanding. Thanks for the reminder to support Steve's REAL legacy of animal protection, conservation and awareness. Unlike PETA, a man of action, not just chest-thumping rhetoric. pic.twitter.com/ta6NQoP0RI — TheBrownDog (@The_BrownDog) February 23, 2019 And many of them were more than a little hilarious. Check out these reactions to the above tweets. pic.twitter.com/BTzY84lOgs — Ian Laking (@IHLaking) February 23, 2019 Get get...go on now pic.twitter.com/2c0vemeBuw — Joseph Richard (@Croctopus_in_3D) February 23, 2019 pic.twitter.com/Gp53vp6g0y — Omniscient (@Omniscient_SSBU) February 23, 2019 A lot of people couldn't help but call people out for ignoring the conservation efforts that Irwin put in place while alive, as well as the ongoing work his family does in his name. Plus, many people grew up with Irwin and credit him with their ongoing love and respect for animals. pic.twitter.com/0FVJeqEnj6 — Matt West (@TomahawkWest) February 23, 2019 Yoo y’all really be tweaking if it wasn’t for Steve Irwin I wouldn’t know half the thing ik about animals or ever care about wild animals. Y’all gone too far 😤😤😤 FOH — Carlos😈🇵🇷💚 (@C3Mash) February 23, 2019 Insulting Steve Irwin is too much. He has done more to help animals than you 💔💔💔 pic.twitter.com/Z6TuSzj8HI — ♡ ♡ (@cupcakejiyong) February 23, 2019 Not only were people reacting to the tweet on Twitter, but the whole thing spread to Reddit, as well. And we all know, if it makes it to Reddit, the memes will come. we must all unite to condemn PETA from r/dankmemes FUCK PETA from r/dankmemes We have to defend Steve Irwin's memory, PETA has gone too far. from r/memes The overall response was complete disdain for the tweet and PETA in general. People also called out the animal activist group for intentionally ignoring the message Irwin was always trying to send to his viewers. *Steps into PETA's office pic.twitter.com/WYdWavvEBn — Noah Hoskins (@NoahMHoskins) February 23, 2019 pic.twitter.com/camLEifqd0 — Manu (@_Manu_Sama) February 23, 2019 pic.twitter.com/UFVuzGvMcO — ♡ Pixiecat ♡ (@pixiecatcosplay) February 23, 2019 I'm sure that PETA is entirely unphased by all of this, becasue they are used to receiving backlash for their extreme positions. However, I do sympathize with Irwin's family. They were likely just trying to celebrate the loving and happy memory of Steve on his birthday and it's hard to imagine that wasn't overshadowed by the pointed PETA tweets and the subsequent response from a large online community. pic.twitter.com/nD8eB1bxW0 — Freddie Uriegas (@FreddithWapith) February 23, 2019 pic.twitter.com/GylkolMmQf — Abby C (@abby__taco) February 23, 2019 pic.twitter.com/fGpZXPtJqN — Tim Howley (@IamTimHowley) February 23, 2019 At least we know that the online community stands behind Irwin and his family, so they have that to go on. PETA, on the other hand, may have lost a couple of followers who might be vegan or vegetarian but also grew up appreciating animals in that way because of Irwin's programs.
