WATCH: Bear Gets a Grilling Over Cruelty to Animals
A trio of PETA supporters turned up at survivalist Bear Gryll’s book promo talk at the Royal Institution in London today, determined to hold the reality TV star to account over the sickening slaughter of animals on Channel 4’s The Island.
Watch what happened next.
The protesters took Grylls by surprise by unfurling banners and demanding that he answer some uncomfortable questions about how Grylls’ Channel 4 series recently shipped a pig to the Panama island specifically to have contestants slit her throat – and that on a previous episode, contestants tracked down and killed an endangered American crocodile, a species that is protected under the Endangered Species Act.
The interruption clearly made an impact. Towards the end of the event, an audience member asked Grylls, “My fiancé is currently applying for the next series of the Island. If you could give him one tip, what would it be?” He replied, “For God’s sake don’t kill any animals.” Let’s hope Bear Grylls follows his own advice!
As we’ve pointed out to Channel 4, had the pig-killing incident taken place in the UK, the contestants could face charges and, potentially, time in prison. Torturing and killing animals is a cruel way to attempt to boost ratings, and it sends an especially harmful message to young viewers, who are greatly influenced by what they see on TV.
Along with Animal Aid, OneKind and VIVA!, we’re calling on Channel 4 bosses to put a policy in place that will forbid this kind of cruelty on any of their future shows.
If you agree that animals shouldn’t die for entertainment, please send an email to Channel 4’s CEO asking him to implement a comprehensive animal-welfare policy.
Contact David Abraham at [email protected]. Feel free to use our letter for inspiration.
You can also send a quick message to Panama officials, asking that they investigate the cruelty that happened on The Island and press charges against the perpetrators.
