Floyd Mayweather Gets Pet Tiger For Christmas Day 2015, Big Cat Rescue Not Happy, Among Others

Floyd Mayweather has a new pet tiger. Which surprisingly isn't all that surprising. He just does stuff like that--check out his cars. And while Mayweather appears to be pretty jazzed about his new companion, not everybody shares the same sentiment. A big cat rescue group, called Big Cat Rescue, a nonprofit sanctuary in Florida, were quick to voice their displeasure.

Mayweather, not one to keep his lavish luxuries a secret, made sure people were aware of his new pet in a recent Instagram post. In it, he was sitting on the most expensive steps in the world (presumably), with his tiger on a leash. He included the caption: "I want to thank my family @themoneyteamrussia here in Moscow, Russia for the hospitality & my early Christmas present, a rare & exotic tiger from India. Any suggestions for a name for this two-month old, female tiger?"

Big Cat Rescue then took to Facebook to deprecate the famous boxer. They wrote:

"We do not believe there is ANY acceptable situation for big cats to be pets. The fact that he is a celebrity makes it even worse in that now many of his fans will think it's cool to have a tiger as a pet and want to do the same thing. It's incredibly irresponsible for anyone to think these alpha predators would make good pets. We believe it is cruel and abusive for anyone to own a big cat as a pet. The cub should go to a GFAS-accredited sanctuary."

The group also encouraged people to politely comment on Mayweather's page.

The Instagram picture has caused something of a public outrage--celebrities, Facebook users, and PETA, too--with people taking to different mediums to voice their opinions (mostly in dissaproval). But Mayweather was able to shrug it off, and take solice, knowing that he's helping out Tigers around the world.

"I joined a team in Moscow, Russia and we're saving tigers, said Mayweather, via fighthype.com. "We're breeding tigers because there's a shortage of tigers in this world."

"They gave me a certificate for joining a group in Russia that's going to help save tigers," continued Mayweather. "I haven't given my tiger a name yet, but we're going to make sure that it has the best of everything."

Perhaps a new car for the Tiger?

For now, Mayweather is the proud owner of a young tiger. And while PETA undoubtedly files grievances against the famed boxer--surely a strongly worded letter, too--Mayweather will surely continue to be in the headlines for one thing or another.