The Ontario Society for the Protection of Animals says it sent its officers to the Bowmanville Zoo to examine animals after allegations of abuse at the hands of the zoo’s owner, but no action was taken at this time.

The group opened an investigation after the alleged whipping of a Siberian tiger during a training session.

“Our visit revealed that at this time we do not have the authority to remove the animals from their location,” the OSPCA said in a release.

“Although the animals were not removed, we want to reassure the public that the Society will be making sure that the animals are getting the care they require while this investigation is ongoing.”

The OSPCA said it has the authority to remove animals under the following conditions:

An animal is in immediate distress. In this situation our officers did not find the tigers to be in immediate distress, as defined by the Ontario SPCA Act.

A veterinarian has recommended the removal of the animal to ensure the animal gets the care it requires.

Ontario SPCA Act Orders have been issued but were not complied with.

On Tuesday, video surfaced on YouTube that appeared to show Bowmanville Zoo owner Michael Hackenberger whipping and swearing at a tiger. The video was released by the U.S.-based animal rights group PETA.

“PETA’s eyewitness footage confirms that Michael Hackenberger uses violence and physical domination, and he needs to be stopped,” said PETA foundation deputy director Brittany Peet in a release. “You should no more whip a young tiger than a young child – it’s out of line and, we believe, outside the law.”

In a response video, Hackenberger denied whipping the animal more than two times. He claimed the lashes following the first two are hitting the ground, not the tiger.

“A tiger will not lay on the ground and allow itself to be struck as this videotape suggests,” he said. “They’ll turn around, they’ll try to kill you.”

Dr. Michael Belovich, a veterinarian for 25 years, disagrees.

“When I see any sort of a cat or any sort of animal in this sort of a pose, that’s obviously an animal that’s stressed and looking fearful,” he said. “Cats that are happy or calm will be sitting up, anytime that their head and body is below their legs that tells us that they are very upset and very fearful. Whether this is a domestic cat or a tiger or a big cat, this is not a happy animal. This is not a relaxed animal. This is an animal that is very fearful.”

Phil Demers, a former animal trainer, says using weapons to train an animal is unnecessary and frowned upon in the industry.

“Unfortunately for Michael Hackenberger, animal training has progressed beyond what his knowledge is,” Demers says. “He’s familiar with dominating an animal. It’s not necessary. It is effective but it’s a very volatile way of training. It brings out the worst in the animal and the trainer.”

Canada’s Accredited Zoos and Aquariums is also investigating the video, but they can only remove accreditation from the zoo. The OSPCA can press charges, should they feel abuse has occurred.

“We are peace officers,” Cross said. “We are able to able to press charges in accordance with Ontario legislation to protect animals.”

It’s not the first time Hackenberger and the Bowmanville Zoo have been under fire.

In August, Hackenberger swore at a monkey on live television as a guest of City’s Breakfast Television.

In 2013, the zoo was named the second-worst zoo in North America for elephants by the California-based In Defense of Animals organization for keeping Limba, a 50-year-old elephant, on her own.

“Limba is living a life of solitary confinement,” Nicole Meyer, the director of the organization’s elephant protection campaign, told the Toronto Star. “That’s very harsh for an animal like an elephant, who is extremely social and intelligent.”

Hackenberger disputed the claims, saying the elephant had “a tremendous amount of human interaction,” and that the elephant was happy in its 5,400 square-foot barn and acreage.

Less than a year later, Limba was euthanized after a bout with cancer.

Since 2013, a number of animal activist groups including PETA have charged the Marineland in Niagara Falls with mistreating and abusing dolphins and whales in their marine park. After an eight-month investigation by the OSPCA, no charges were laid against Marineland as “there was no evidence of animal abuse.”