Thread:Comments:ITV fined A$3000 for cruelty to rat on "I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!"/Really?/reply (17)

Right - let me clear some stuff up. - The animal that was killed, an Australian Jungle Rat, is a native Australian Species, thus protected under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals act*. The chef who dispatched the animal, Gino D'Acampo, has some considerable knowledge of slaughter, but I would imagine he doesn't deal with rats everyday.

The death of the animal took longer than is permitted under New South Wales' Animal Welfare Legislation (90 seconds according to the Australian RSPCA), and the slaughter also took place without an approved method of stunning being applied, leading to the charges of cruelty against D'Acampo and Manning.

Since all native species are protected by law, it's no different to killing an Elephant or a White Rhino and eating it. Showing it during the broadcast wasn't a smart idea for ITV, but that's the background to it.

I quote RSPCA NSW Chief Inspector David O'Shannessy - "It's a reasonable result. It reflects the fact that all animals are protected by the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. The animal was killed for a TV show - that's not appropriate. The raw footage indicates that, from the first attempt, it took about 90 seconds before it actually died. The legislation says that an animal can be killed for human consumption provided it does not cause unnecessary suffering. Had it been killed and it was over and done with, we might not be having this conversation."

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