[Update (May 11th, 1:30 p.m.): Through May 15th, the Pink Taco in Century City will be featuring a special margarita, the “PETA-rita,” with 100% of the proceeds from going to PETA. And Friday, May 13th is “bring your pet to the patio day” from 3 to 7 p.m.]

[Update (May 5th, 1 p.m.): Our sister blog, The Informer, reports that Pink Taco owner Harry Morton issued a statement vowing to never again use animals in promo stunts. It's the same pledge he made in 2008 — after pulling a similar stunt with the opening of the Century City location. Maybe this time he means it.]

(Original post after the jump.)

Credit: Ben Decker / OC Weekly

Credit: Ben Decker / OC Weekly

Throughout human history, donkeys have been saddled with burdens too numerous to count, so being painted pink and forced to serve as the mascot for a terrible fast-food chain named after a colloquial term for “vagina” seems like the least of the species' worries. But it's definitely a big worry among some members of the human species. Pink Taco has outraged outraged some Angelenos with a Cinco de Mayo stunt in which the company painted a donkey hot pink and chained it up in 85-degree heat outside its Century City location.

According to our OC Weekly brethren, concerned passers by immediately took to Facebook and Twitter to voice their alarm. In fact, they were so vocal Pink Taco removed its official Facebook page and killed its original Twitter feed (@pinktacola). There's a new Pink Taco Twitter feed, quite possibly fake, (@pinkktaco_la), and a “Boycott Pink Taco Century City” Facebook page, definitely real, that's going strong with over 1,200 fans. Don't expect it to stop there. As this NBC-LA story points out, animal rights activists have loooooooooooooong memories.

As unrepentant omnivores, we're not offended by the pink donkey. We're not offended by the name “Pink Taco.” We are, however, offended by mediocrity — on every level. Maybe Pink Taco should avoid videos with comical (read: vaguely racist) stereotypes about donkeys and Tijuana sex shows. Also, maybe don't sully a great Manu Chao song by using it as the background music in your lame video. Oh, yeah: And stop making such terrible tacos.

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