Sexy Raccoon Video Shoot: Moscow Zoo Sues Art-Msk For 'Traumatizing' Animal

Thomas the raccoon, a resident of a Moscow zoo, is at the center of a legal battle after he was rented by an ad company for a video shoot.

The zoo is suing the company, Art-Msk, for using Thomas to make an “erotic” video ad, BBC News reported Thursday. The lawsuit came to light following a marked change in Thomas’s behavior when he returned from the job.

“We noticed he was attracted to women’s breasts,” a spokesman, Viktor Kiryukhin, told BBC News. Kiryukhin believed that the interest stemmed from Thomas being given treats in association with the female anatomy “… so he associated breasts with a treat.”

Read: Animals Killed For Agriculture: 2.7M Slaughtered By Wildlife Services

The zoo said that Thomas was traumatized and had adopted a fascination with female breasts. The zoo took action when they saw the footage and realized what had occurred.

The zoo sometimes lets filmmakers rent animals for projects. In Thomas' case, the zoo was assured that the shoot would be “normal.” The contract, which was signed in August, detailed Thomas the raccoon would be used in a regular advertisement, the British news outlet reported.

The zoo noted the animal was used as a prop by the female model, who was naked, when they saw the video on social media. The park requested the video and photos be taken down, but Art-Msk did not comply. A lawsuit was filed last October and renewed Tuesday when nothing had happened. The zoo wanted to be compensated for damages to the animal.

While the zoo claimed the footage and imagery was “erotic,” Art-Msk countered that if an X-rated film aired on television, it would be illegal. Art-Msk threatened a counter-suit, claiming that when they rented Thomas they were told he was trained, according to UPI.

Thomas’s behavior was corrected since the incident.

“It took two to three months to change his behavior. Now he is happy again … but he was sad before,” Kiryukhin told BBC News.