After having enough lawsuits filed against it to fund a major law firm and controversies aplenty, Bauer Media, publisher of Zoo Weekly, has announced it is axing the racy title’s print and digital versions.

The magazine’s last edition will hit news stands on October 12, ending an era of race-to-the-bottom journalism.

Bauer Media’s chief executive officer David Goodchild said the reason for the closure surrounded retail issues.

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“With tough retail conditions in the men’s market, Bauer has made the call to close Zoo’s operations,” Goodchild said this week.

The magazine was pulled from Coles supermarket shelves in August after a long campaign against its “exploitative content”.

And one month later, after nine years of publication – which involved many memorable-for-the-wrong-reasons moments – it was officially axed.

Zoo Weekly’s Hall of Shame

2006 – Lara Bingle sued for defamation after the magazine ran photos of her after her “Where the Bloody Hell Are You?” Australian tourism campaign. The spread included speech bubbles containing unsavoury statements coming from her mouth.

Lara Bingle sued Zoo Weekly. Photo: Getty

2007 – Zoo ran a competition to “win a boob job for your girlfriend”. The magazine wanted cleavage shots for readers to vote on. Outraged citizens started a petition to get rid of the magazine.

2008 – A competition for people to win a free divorce brought the magazine into further disrepute. The prize money included lawyers fees and money for a divorce party for the newly single man.

2010 – What better way to celebrate the beatification of Australia’s first and only Saint Mary MacKillop’s than by photographing a model in lingerie and a nun’s habit? Oh, did we mention there was also a dwarf Pope?

2010 – Just before former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard was sworn in, Zoo Weekly ran a topless photo of her partner’s daughter Staci Child. It was tasteful though – they draped her in the Australian flag.

The cover that displayed Ms Gillard’s step-daughter in 2010. Photo: AAP

2012 – Then weighing into the immigration debate, Zoo Weekly ran an “Australia’s Hottest Asylum Seeker” competition. The outrage was so great the magazine was forced to print an apology in the following edition and drop the comp.

2015 – After a couple of quiet years, Zoo hit back with a vengeance in 2015. In celebration of the centenary of Gallipoli, the mag put together an Anzac edition. In the spread, a scantily clad model explained why she loves men in uniform. “Yeah, I do like guys in uniform. They’re bad arses, they have guns and they’re really fit and well built,” said cover girl, model Erin Pash. She was pictured on the inside of the magazine in a bikini in front of WWI recruitment posters under the headline ‘Lest we Forget’.

This cover referencing Gallipoli and World War One drew criticism. Photo: Facebook

2015 – Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young wins a defamation case against Zoo Weekly after a photo of her head was imposed onto a scantily clad model’s body in the mag in 2012.

Sarah Hanson-Young was not impressed – and won a defamation case. Photo: AAP

2015 – Grow a hipster beard – that was one of the tips from Zoo Weekly’s “homeless survival tips.” The magazine ran the spread, which quickly drew condemnation for being “degrading and exploitative.”