Chris Packham teases his Channel 4 climate change documentary
ITV has issued a statement in response to naturalist Chris Packham’s blasting of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! as he accused the show of being cruel to animals.
Following an open letter he penned to hosts Ant and Dec on Monday, a spokesperson from ITV responded: “We are always fully transparent about our protocols and we have a very strict environmental plan in place on the show.
“As a production, we comply with all regional and national laws concerning the use of insects, animals and reptiles.
“Welfare and safety is always the primary priority on any of our programmes, and at any Bushtucker trial that features animals, we have qualified and experienced animal handlers on site at all times.
“We inform the RSPCA NSW of all of our activities on the show and they have an open invitation to attend the site at any time.
READ MORE Chris Packham shares angry letter to Ant and Dec over ‘appalling’ I’m A Celeb[LATEST]
The reply concluded: “We cannot stress enough that we have rigorous protocols in place to ensure that animals are handled safely at all times, before, during and after any filming has taken place, in compliance with all regional and national laws.”
Chris has published an open letter on X, formerly known as Twitter, imploring Ant and Dec to react to his allegations that I’m A Celebrity “exploits animals for entertainment”.
He stated that the RSPCA had received 17,000 complaints last year about the show’s “wilful abuse of animals” and “reinforcement of negative stereotypes”, as he urged the duo to make a change.
Don’t miss…
Chris Packham calls for a radical reform of zoos:[LATEST]
Chris Packham calls for ‘radical reform’ of zoos and wildlife parks[VIDEO]
Jeremy Clarkson’s scathing four-word response to Chris Packham as row heats up[LATEST]
- Support fearless journalism
- Read The Daily Express online, advert free
- Get super-fast page loading
The 62-year-old Autumnwatch star took to Twitter (X) to declare to his 627,000 followers: “I’ve written another letter to @antanddec about the ongoing appalling abuse of animals on @ITV programme @imacelebrity.
“I’ve tried to be polite but my patience has run thin. If you agree with what it says please RT. #ImACeleb.”
Animals like rats and reptiles have been incorporated into Bushtucker Trials over the years and has occasionally sparked outrage, such as when Ferne McCann had to eat a live spider on the show in 2015.
Chris told Ant and Dec in his letter that he was “sick of your perceived disregard for animal welfare”.
“I have written to you before but you have never replied so I thought I’d write again,” he began, stating that previous letters were “polite, reasonable, and constructive” but that he’s now ready to be more “frank” and “forthright”.
“I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here remains a grotesque blot on the reputations of both yourselves and ITV,” Chris continued.
“Its continued exploitation of animals for entertainment is an anachronistic embarrassment and betrays a dangerous disconnect between a world increasingly concerned with an environmental crisis and a reckless and marginalised part of the media that doesn’t appear to give a s**t.” (sic)
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! continues on Tuesday at 9pm on ITV.
Source: Read Full Article