People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is no stranger to making headlines for its controversial adverts and protests public personalities and organisations. Once again, PETA received a backlash on Twitter after accusing the Australian wildlife warrior, late Steve Irwin and condemning a tribute by Google to him on what would have been his 57th birthday. The contentious animal activist group won few fans or none at all after taking a dig at the Crocodile Hunter. It all happened over a series of tweets by PETA against Irwin and Google, who celebrated his birth anniversary by replacing its logo with an illustration of him holding a crocodile. In no time, the animal activist group was trolled online. PETA Ad on How Going Vegan Can Boost Male Sexual Stamina Makes You Cringe!

Irwin died in 2006, reportedly in a freak stingray attack, while he was filming a nature documentary. On February 22, Google honoured the well-known zookeeper and television host with a slideshow of illustrations. The search engine giant frequently honours celebrities by redesigning their logo with a ‘doodle’ that reflects their work. The slideshow included a series of cartoons of Irwin holding a crocodile, hanging out with his wife and kids. PETA took exception to the cartoons and criticised Irwin and Google. PETA Says Stop Speciesism By Avoiding Certain Phrases; Can Language Affect Prejudice?

"#SteveIrwin was killed while harassing a ray; he dangled his baby while feeding a crocodile and wrestled wild animals who were minding their own business. Today’s Google Doodle sends a dangerous, fawning message. Wild animals are entitled to be left alone in their natural habitats,” tweeted PETA.

Here's the Tweet

Well, the tweet was not well-received by Irwin’s followers. With about 4,900 retweets (and still counting), dwarfed by more than 25,000 replies—the phenomenon clearly states a lot of angry comments, rather than agreement. From Deadly Snakes to Chasing Cheetahs, These Videos of The Crocodile Hunter Prove His Love For Animals. 

Twitterati is Furious. 

Despite the backlash, PETA doubled down two more tweets.

These follow-up tweets were not any better received than the first.

PETA has become notorious for its shocking ad campaigns and remarks, only offending its followers. Whether it’s using sex, graphic images, exploiting tragic news events or for the recent by barbequing a fake dog in Sydney, PETA does not have to worry much about making people angry.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 23, 2019 12:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).