A BRITISH rapper has been accused of animal abuse after he filmed himself shouting at an orangutang while locked in a car.
Shocking footage shows Rhys Herbert — AKA Digga D — from West London feeding the ape strawberry milk, with the caption “digga d buys a monkey on live.”
4
A video shows Digga D shouting at a orangutang ‘trapped’ in a carCredit: TikTok
4
The caption claims the rapper bought the apeCredit: TikTok
4
Rhys Herbert, known as Digga D, is no stranger to controversy
He is no stranger to trouble and was jailed last year for his role in planning a terrifying machete and knife brawl with a rival gang.
The notorious drill rapper, who is banned from making music videos in the UK without permission from police, had been shooting a video in the United Arab Emirates, when he posted the video on social media.
It shows the ape, called George, pulling the car’s red seats as Digga D offers him strawberry milk and shouts “ay ay don’t be pulling stuff.”
Digga D and his friends are heard jeering at the distressed animal who is clearly confused by his surroundings.
At one point the ape appears to curl up in a ball, while the rapper and people outside the car take photos and videos of him.
Shocked fans have slammed the 21-year-old after seeing the video on Instagram.
One said: “This is absolute stupidity and cruelty against this animal, endured at the expense of idiotic individuals.
Another added: “The animal is literally trapped in a car and has multiple cameras pointing at him and they are screaming, the animal is clearly in huge distress.”
The caption of the video claims the rapper bought the ape – but in the United Arab Emirates trading and owning exotic animals as pets has been outlawed since 2017.
Orangutan Foundation’s Rob Durgut told The Mirror: “Keeping a wild animal, and in particular an intelligent and critically endangered species like an orangutan, has damaging implications to the individual animal and fuels the illegal wildlife trade.”
Back home in Britain, he has been ordered to get clearance from the Metropolitan police to release music.
In March last year, he was handed a two-and-a-half year sentence for his role in planning a terrifying machete and knife fight with a rival gang.
In a picture posted on social media Herbert, 19, part of the Ladbroke Grove gang, posed outside jail after being released towards the end of May because of time spent on remand.
In June 2018, he was among a mob caged for a machete attack plot on rivals in Notting Hill.
In a landmark ruling, the judge banned him and other members of the 1011 street gang from producing videos that glorified or incited violence without police approval under a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO).
Herbert was associated with the ultra-violent 1011 and is a member of a rap crew known as CGM.
They have racked up millions of views on YouTube.
Police say drill rap videos on YouTube can incite violence and play a significant role in inter-gang violence including murder among London gangs.
Herbert has a fanatical legion of followers.
Two of them have been previously arrested for hacking into the Met’s official Twitter account and using it to post messages demanding his release from prison.
One hacker posted: “FREE DIGGA D ON FOENEM GANG.”
4
He is seen offering the distressed animal strawberry milkCredit: TikTok
Digga D speaks out after rumours drill rapper was arrested in Dubai
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/16942973/rapper-digga-d-animal-cruelty-distressed-orangutan/
