French Montana Dismisses Animal Cruelty Accusations

Rapper French Montana has defended himself against allegations of animal cruelty after hiring an elephant for his birthday.

The “Pop That” hitmaker and his girlfriend Iggy Azalea came under fire on Wednesday after they shared snaps of themselves online, posing beside a bejeweled elephant, which had been placed in the backyard of Montana’s Los Angeles mansion.

Alongside one image of the beast, which had jewelry placed on its head and around its ankles, he wrote, “I love animals more than people!! Happy bday (sic) to me positive vibes at the Casa (home).”

The posts prompted many Instagram followers to attack the couple for engaging in what they felt was a form of animal cruelty, but Montana has now hit back, claiming the elephant in question leads a privileged life.

He simply tells TMZ, “The elephant’s living better than a lot of people!”

Fellow rapper Azalea has yet to comment on the controversy.

The couple’s elephant encounter took place hours before she surprised her man with a yacht party for his 32nd birthday. Azalea flew him by helicopter to California’s Marina Del Rey, where guests including Drake, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, the rap mogul’s girlfriend Cassie, and model Amber Rose were waiting on a luxury boat to celebrate Montana’s special day.

The extravagant event also featured a fireworks display, which lit up the night sky.

The couple have been romantically linked since the summer, following the Australian star’s split from her fiancé, Los Angeles Lakers basketball player Nick Young.