Jason Momoa has been criticised by animal welfare charity Peta after sharing a video of himself feeding a bear a biscuit out of his own mouth.
The Game Of Thrones star posted the behind-the-scenes clip from his new Apple TV+ show See, in which he fights a kodiak bear, saying the animal needed to know his scent.
The footage shows him in costume as he gets on his knees in front of the animal and puts the snack in his mouth.
Brittany Peet, director of captive animal law enforcement at the charity, said in a statement: “Momoa apparently doesn’t realise that there’s no behind-the-scenes justice for this exploited bear.
“Wild animals are often torn away from their mothers as infants and thrown into a life in which trainers frequently use cruel techniques such as food deprivation, beatings, electric shocks and chaining to force them to perform.
“Momoa knows how convincing and lifelike computer-generated imagery, animatronics, and other cutting-edge technologies are, but subjecting a bear to the bright lights and bustle of a production set is stressful and totally outdated, so we hope he’ll refuse to participate in stunts involving wild animals in the future.”
Posting the video on Instagram, Momoa wrote: “The things we do for our ART.
“SEE. Is out. Please watch on Apple TV+. The bear needs to know your scent. So here’s my cookie kisses big guy.
“Love you tag. Aloha Baba Voss.”
Baba Voss is the name of Momoa’s character in the futuristic show, which is penned by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight.
It is set 600 years in the future in a decimated America where human beings have lost the power of sight and have retreated to a new Dark Ages.
The series also stars Alfre Woodard and Sylvia Hoeks.