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Organisers of a viral social media campaign that promised to plant a tree every time Instagrammers posted a photo of the pet have been forced to make a grovelling apology after millions of pooches were uploaded to the platform.
The trend began on Monday with the original post promising participants: 'We'll plant 1 tree for every pet picture.'
It was initially unclear who started the movement as nearly five million people around the globe flooded their Instagram Stories with photos of their furry friends.
On Tuesday, organisation Plant A Tree Co claimed responsibility for the original post but explained they had been forced to delete it after only ten minutes.
The creators behind a viral campaign that pledged to post a tree for every pet photo posted have admitted they don't have the resources (pictured, a user takes part in the trend)
US group Plant A Tree Co posted a statement taking responsibility for the original post that started the viral trend but said they deleted it after only ten minutes
'We immediately understood the potential this post had and we believed we didn't have the capabilities and resources to keep our end of the post,' they said.
'Though we deleted the post, it continued to spread through people's stories, and through the power of the internet is now at four million shares.'
The US-based group claimed Instagram had 'stripped' them of the credit of starting the global campaign and was hiding their original message.
'Though we don't have the ability to plant four million trees, we can use this awareness to make a lasting impact,' a statement promised.
Plant A Tree Co encouraged users who posted a photo of their pet to raise awareness of the fundraiser, so four million trees could actually be
