The director of a private zoo near Toronto has stepped down after he was charged with several counts of animal cruelty in relation to a secretly recorded video that appears to show him whipping a tiger.

The footage was released by PETA last December and appears to show Bowmanville Zoo director Michael Hackenberger using a whip and swearing at a captive tiger as it runs around a pen during a training session.

The video triggered an investigation from the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) and led to five charges against Hackenberger, including four counts of causing an animal distress and one of failing to comply with the prescribed standards of care for an animal.

In a statement, the zoo says it stands behind Hackenberger and called the charges “politically driven,” “completely unwarranted” and “unsupported by the actual facts.”

“The Bowmanville Zoo is home to over 290 animals, many of which having been rescued by Mr. Hackenberger and his staff from abusive environments in order to find refuge in the safe confines of the Bowmanville Zoo,” the zoo said in a Facebook post Wednesday.

“These animals are loved and taken care of by an amazing team of staff who put the animals first.”

The statement also alluded to a closure, saying that shutting the zoo down would cost more than 60 local jobs and mean “a death sentence” for many animals.

The OSPCA says it will conduct another inspection at the zoo and keep close watch on the animals there.

The zoo has pledged to donate $100,000 in tickets and merchandise to “families in need” and local children’s charity groups “as part of our continued support for the community.”

The statement is signed “Sincerely, The Bowmanville Zoo.”

PETA has said it is happy about the charges laid against Hackenberger.

"We hope that this case will result in an end to his torment of animals made to suffer for human entertainment," the organization said.

Hackenberger was previously in hot water after audibly cursing at a monkey on a live morning television segment.

With files from the Canadian Press