Gabriel Aubry tries a new tactic in bitter battle with Halle Berry

Halle Berry may have won the first round of her custody battle with her ex boyfriend, but now Gabriel Aubry is fighting back on a different front. The French-Canadian model made a very public appearance with his daughter Nahla today at the Los Angeles Zoo.
In what appeared to be a message of defiance to the actress and perhaps a bid for public sympathy, the 32-year-old put on a show of fatherly affection in front of a paparazzi camera. The two-year-old nestled into her father as the pair strolled around the park together. The tender display was in stark contrast to previous claims by a Berry source that Nahla had returned home from several visits with Aubry in a 'traumatised' state.
The public outing is the latest move in a increasingly bitter fight that has played out in the media. And it came just hours after Berry received permission from the courts to take Nahla to New York to fulfil a work obligation. Aubry is understood to have been blocking Berry's plan to take the child across the country later this month. Sources allege he refused Berry's offer to put him up in a hotel during a week-long shoot so he could spend time with the child.
Berry, who has publicly said she has 'serious concerns' about Aubry's parenting, is understood to have been unwilling to leave the toddler alone in Los Angeles with her father. TMZ reports Aubry, who is not currently working, said: 'Why do I have to follow her?  She can leave [Nahla] here.'
Berry was present at a Los Angeles Court yesterday as a judge considered the case. After hearing from both sides, he gave her permission to travel with the child. Emerging from court, Berry's lawyer told U.S. website TMZ that the actress was happy with the decision.
Meanwhile Aubry has withdrawn his custody petition, but will continue with his paternity action. If accepted by the courts the petition will protect the fatherly rights of the Canadian model. Aubry filed a bid back in December for partial custody of Nahla.
Following a fall-out between the former couple he was said to be concerned that his access to Nahla would be blocked by Berry, as nothing was agreed in writing. But his move to protect his rights sparked a bitter war of words.
Accusations were made that Aubry used a racial slur against Berry and then, in a particularly nasty turn, a source claimed the model 'went nuts' when his daughter was referred to as 'black'.
In an interview which took place prior to the public feud, Berry clearly stated she regarded her daughter - who has both white and African-American heritage - to be 'black'. She said she subscribes to the 'one-drop theory', which refers to the controversial racial classification of African-Americans that determined who was black in the US.