MUMBAI: Pop star Katy Perry has been slammed over an Australian ad in which she tells her dog to go and "chase" koalas.

The ‘Chained to the Rhythm’ hitmaker has teamed up with a company for a series of online promotions of her upcoming ‘Witness tour Down Under’, but has been slammed for ending an ad by telling her teacup poodle Nugget to "chase" koalas, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

After telling viewers how to enter a draw to win one of 8,000 free tickets to her show, Perry says: "Let's go chase some koalas, Nugget!"

The clip has been slammed by vet Claire Madden, who treats koalas injured in dog attacks.

"This is just absolute ignorance from Perry and Myer, and inappropriate on so many levels. Perry is a role model to so many young people, and this just destroys all the good work we do to try to encourage people not to let their dogs come into contact with koalas," Madden told Australia's Courier Mail.

She even urged the 32-year-old singer to spend a day with her and see her work first-hand.

"Katy Perry, I challenge you to come and spend a day with me (a wildlife vet) and learn firsthand why your comment should not be streamed across the nation," she said.

"Koalas attacked by dogs is one of their biggest threats and primary reasons for presenting to wildlife hospitals across Australia," added Claire.

(Source: IANS)