'Repulsive': Animal lovers attack Ted Cruz after Senator posts picture of himself grinning alongside skin of endangered tiger

Texas Senator Ted Cruz shared a photo on Wednesday night of himself and Utah Senator Mike Lee kneeling next to a real-looking tiger skin rug



Tigers are on the World Wildlife Fund's endangered species list

Cruz's office says, 'The senator ran across the rug in someone's office in Houston and wanted a picture with it'

His post about buying the skin was meant to be a joke



Cruz's office does not know if the tiger skin is real

Senator Ted Cruz sparked fury among animal lovers on Wednesday night after posting a picture of him standing next to the skin of an endangered tiger.



The Republican Senator posted a p hoto on his office's official Twitter and Facebook accounts of Utah Senator Mike L ee and himself kneeling next to a real-looking tiger skin.



'Did a little shopping for the office with @SenMikeLee in Houston today,' Cruz said in a tweet accompanying the photo.





Texas Senator Ted Cruz (right) shared a photo on Wednesday night of himself and Utah Senator Mike Lee (left) kneeling next to a real-looking tiger skin rug. The photo caption insinuates that Cruz bought the rug for his government office

At the time of writing this article, the tweet had more than 300 favorites and 300 retweets. The Facebook post had more than 2,000 shares and 14,300 likes.

Tigers are on the World Wildlife Fund's list of endangered species. The conservation organization estimates that as few as 3,200 tigers are living in the wild today.

Cruz's Senate office now says the tweet was meant to be a joke, and the Senator did not purchase the rug.

'The senator ran across the rug in someone's office in Houston and wanted a picture with it,' Cruz's Press Secretary Catherine Fraizer said in an email.



Frazier said the office did not know if the tiger skin was genuine.

'If the rug is real, Ted Cruz's use of it reduces a majestic once-living being to a doormat,' People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals President Ingrid Newkirk told MailOnline via email.



'Gunning down wildlife in order to make umbrella stands, rugs, and ornaments is frowned upon in the 21st century, as most people have come to learn from and be awe-inspired by the lives, intelligence, and social make-up of other living beings.'

Cruz's tiger skin photo sparked outrage from animal lovers on twitter

Cruz's Senate office now says the tweet was meant to be a joke, and the Senator did not purchase the rug for his office

Cruz's detractors on twitter predictably criticized the 'purchase,' as well.

'ah! An awesome (endangered) animal skin! You rock Senator Cruz! You continue to infuriate anyone with common sense!' Indiana University student Dillion Kirk said in response to the photo.



'I like when people just tell you they're repulsive,' Kevin Koehler of Los Angeles said in a comment accompanying a retweet of the photo.

Cruz and Lee are criss-crossing the country this week, speaking at events for like-minded candidates.



Today they are in in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where they are headlining a rally with former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin for Oklahoma Senate candidate T.W. Shannon. Tomorrow the trio heads to Nebraska for an event with Nebraska Senate candidate Ben Sasse. Later that evening, Cruz and Lee will travel to Lee's home state for an event with the Utah Republican Party.

Cruz's office did not say why the Senators were in Houston, Texas, together yesterday.

