Recall candidate John Cox announces "Meet the Beast" bus tour

John Cox’s “Meet the Beast” campaign—which has involved the Republican gubernatorial wannabe stumping alongside a 1,000-pound Kodiac bear named Tag in cities across the state—wasn’t a hit animal rights groups. Now it looks like the stunt may have run afoul of the law.

The San Diego Human Society’s law enforcement division has reportedly opened an investigation into Cox and his beastly antics. A city code relating to unusual animals says, “No person shall offer for sale, give away, bring into or maintain within an area coming within the jurisdiction of this ordinance, any lion, tiger, bear, monkey, wolf, cougar, ocelot, wildcat, skunk.”

Despite the fact that Tag is a “movie bear” born and raised in captivity, and a member of the Screen Actors Guild who lists a role in the 2018 film Action Point on his resume, he’s still a wild animal who had to be penned in with electrically charged wire to cavort for Cox.