I’M A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! has been hit with a barrage of complaints about the use of live animals in Bushtucker Trials.
More than 1,200 viewers have written in fury to television watchdog Ofcom and accused telly bosses of being ‘cruel’ to critters and creatures.
Welsh animal welfare charity RSPCA Cymru has been encouraging fans to bombard the organisation with complaints.
This comes after the ITV1 show was moved from Australia to Wales for the second year running.
The charity has praised those who have already complained to Ofcom on its behalf, revealing that it is a “record number”.
A tweet from RSPCA Cymru posted on Sunday ahead of the series finale read: “It may be the #ImACeleb final tonight – but a record number of you have backed our campaign to contact Ofcom w/ concerns about the show’s use & portrayal of animals.
“12,000+ of you have taken action – even more than last year, when the show first came to #Wales. Diolch!
“Our welfare experts have been closely monitoring this year’s #ImACelebrity – & sadly have seen a large number of ‘Bushtucker Trials’ featuring the use of live animals, often in stressful or worrying situations.”
‘OVERWHELMING RESPONSE’
During this series, celebrities including Frankie Bridge and Naughty Boy were seen coming face-to-face with snakes, lizards rats and thousands of critters and insects.
The RSPCA claim these creatures are likely to have experienced “stress” while being “surrounded by screaming, panicked celebrities in small, confined spaces”.
Wildlife experts at the charity also claim animals were held “inappropriately” by celebs and that outdoor nighttime temperatures in Wales are not suitable for snakes and lizards.
Dr Ros Clubb, from the RSPCA’s wildlife department, said: “We’re overwhelmed by the response from the public to our campaign against the use of live animals in the I’m a Celeb show.
“More than 12,000 have already written to Ofcom to express concern – with the reaction from the public even stronger than last year, when the programme was filmed in North Wales for the first time.
“Recent weeks have once again seen many live animals put in situations that would compromise their welfare for nothing more than a quick laugh – and once again we’ve been really worried about what we have seen.
“Naturally solitary species have been grouped together in confined spaces, different species have been mixed in stressful situations, animals have been put into confined spaces alongside panicked celebrities and thousands of insects and other invertebrates have been poured on top of campers and risk being crushed.”
She added: “The way insects and other animals are used also trivialises the lives of these animals – at a time when debates around animal sentience are more prominent in society than ever before.”
HOAR Online has contacted ITV for comment.
I’m A Celebrity 2021 came to an end on Sunday night after three weeks.
Emmerdale star Danny Miller was crowned King Of The Jungle, with Corrie’s Simon Gregson finishing in second place.
Loose Women star and Saturdays singer Frankie Bridge left the show in third place.
