Telly naturalist Chris Packham has branded ITV “medieval” for bringing I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! back to Australia without dumping the use of animals and critters in the Bushtucker Trials.
It comes as animal rights organisation Peta last week called for presenters Ant and Dec to resign, saying the show encourages “animal abuse”.
Autumnwatch host Chris says: “I don’t know what ITV are thinking. It was a great opportunity to restructure the programme.
READ MORE: I’m A Celeb’s Ant and Dec in awkward blunder as stars didn’t realise they were live
“Keep it entertaining, keep the viewers there – I’m sure the people at ITV have every capacity to do that – they’re the kings of light entertainment.
(Image: ITV)
“But you don’t need to abuse animals – it’s medieval. My views on I’m A Celebrity are focussed on the way they treat animals on the programme.
“I’m very unhappy with the way they abuse animals. They stereotype them – that’s not helpful when I’m spending a good proportion of my time trying to get people to develop a deep affinity for the natural world so they will help me look after it.”
Chris believes sticking to the old “animals for entertainment” formula is “lazy thinking”.
He says: “I don’t need them demonising spiders, snakes, cockroaches and kangaroo testes. From my point of view the programme needs to be reformed – kick off the animal stuff.
(Image: BBC/Jo Charlesworth)
“We don’t expect that circus. Animals exploited for entertainment – that’s so old school, it’s embarrassing.
“It’s lazy thinking.
“Everything needs to evolve apart from I’m A Celebrity by the looks of it.
“I’m not happy and I’m not the only one.
“There’s been widespread condemnation all over the world about the way they treat animals.”
The 61-year-old has also slammed the example our latest PM Rishi Sunak, inset, has set over his Lizzy Lettuce-style Cop27 U-turn.
Environmentalist Chris is calling for “more political boldness from our leaders globally” to save our planet.
Chris says: “Rishi betrayed our trust.
“It was obviously very disappointing when he said he wasn’t going to go – that’s an understatement.
“The fact he was politically and publicly forced into a screeching U-turn doesn’t bode well.
(Image: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
“There can’t be a person in the UK who doesn’t recognise addressing the climate and biodiversity crisis needs to be on the agenda, if not top of the agenda.
“His initial reaction – ‘I haven’t got time to go’ – displayed the dangerous short-termism that is exploiting contemporary politics.
“Climate change and biodiversity don’t fix now for tomorrow. That requires longer-term investment, which requires political boldness and bravery.
“That’s what we need at this point from our leaders, and we’ve not been getting it globally.”
Yesterday, Chris unveiled a spray-paint portrait at the Eden Project in Cornwall by Jody Thomas of RSPB worker Milly Revill Hayward who is doing important work here in Scotland on the damaged eco-system of a peatland as part of the National Lottery’s People’s Portraits – a campaign which celebrates Brits doing extraordinary things in their community.
On a hexagonal canvas, to mirror the Eden Project’s famous domes, the portrait was created from a CO2-absorbing paint and reused materials. Chris says: “Art is good at getting the environmental message across in a different way.
(Image: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
“Milly and her team are gently removing conifers and re-wetting the area so it’s a functional ecosystem again.”
“Conservationists have a lot of good ideas and techniques but we never have enough money to roll them out.
“Without the Lottery we wouldn’t have made the progress we have been able to.”
The cost-of-living crisis is going to have a detrimental effect on environmental projects, predicts Chris.
He says: “A lot of the smaller environmental charities are already trimming back – not recruiting new staff at a time where we should be expanding to address the problems the environment faces.
“People may trim their budget which impacts their Lottery spending or, more direct, they won’t give to environmental campaigns or memberships when we are dependent on that funding for projects we do.”
● Chris teamed up with The National Lottery to unveil a stunning artwork at The Eden Project.
It is part of the National Lottery’s latest campaign to fund individuals in the UK who are boosting their communities. The Lottery currently contributes £30m per week to good causes.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
