Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have come under fire for visiting Sydney Zoo while they were in Australia for her Eras Tour. The 34-year-old “Anti-Hero” singer is currently in Singapore for six sell-out concerts starting on March 2nd, but her downtime in Australia last month is still making headlines!
Swift’s fans may have been happy that her boyfriend – and current Super Bowl champ – joined her in Australia last month, after facing criticism for not supporting her at the Grammys; but other people – including one famous animal welfare organization – were not!
Taylor Swift And Travis Kelce Visit Sydney Zoo
The "Lavender Haze" singer first headed to Sydney Zoo without the Kansas City Chiefs tight end, and then visited the zoo again after he arrived in Sydney. While they were at the zoo together, they were pictured holding hands as they strolled around the zoo, and were also spotted visiting the koalas, and petting and feeding a baby kangaroo.
However, the couple have faced some backlash from PETA, who thought that they should have spent their "time and money" going to a "true sanctuary" instead.
Taylor Swift And Travis Kelce Face Backlash For Zoo Date
"While we understand all too well the appeal of seeing Australia's wildlife, PETA hopes that next time Taylor and Travis want to see wild animals, they'll spend their time and money at a true sanctuary,” Debbie Metzler, PETA Foundation's Director of Captive Animal Welfare, reportedly told TMZ on Thursday, February 22nd.
Many other fans felt the same way as PETA. Commenting on an US Weekly X post about their zoo date, one user said: "I like Taylor & Travis, but I'm not sure how gawking at imprisoned animals who are denied the opportunity to live a natural & free life makes for a romantic date. Maybe dinner & a movie?" Another wrote: "These people presumably have the money and resources to engage in any recreational activity they choose – and yet they are choosing to support animal exploitation. Sad. Perhaps they just hadn't given the issue much thought before, but I hope they'll know better next time."
"Zoos that allow direct contact like feeding animals is a huge red flag," noted another X user. "Agree! If you care about animals, a zoo is the LAST place you should go. Zoos are prisons for animals," commented another, as someone else said: "Wow, staring at unhappy animals in caged, unnatural environments sounds like the worst date. Taylor and Travis, you could have done a lot better than this!"
Defense For Taylor And Travis
Not everyone was mad about the couple's zoo trip though, including White Lotus star Jennifer Coolidge, who jumped to their defense. "I love Taylor and they seem like animal lovers so I can't condemn those guys I love them," she told TMZ following PETA's statement. "I'm sure they didn't think about it much and were trying to do something romantic so I'm going to let them off the hook on it but I agree with PETA on everything," she added.
Other fans also seemed to side with Taylor and Travis, with some even taking aim at PETA. Commenting on a Daily Mail article about PETA's response to the zoo date, one reader wrote: "PETA - get a life! Stop sticking your nose in to other people's business!" "Zoo shaming people now? Ridiculous!" exclaimed another, as another directly replied: "Exactly! PETA should be talking with the zoo owners not VISITORS! Did they shame the rest of the people there to see the animals?!"
"Get a life PETA. Even the animals love it," thought another reader. "It is fascinating to see how irrelevant this organization has become that they have to pick on a couple people visiting the zoo in order to get their name in the headlines," quipped another. "Honestly, as long as the zoo takes great care of the animals they house, I enjoy going. A sanctuary would be amazing also," commented another reader. "These two are endlessly annoying, BUT I do not agree with criticizing them for going to a zoo. They're on a date... let them be," added another.
