I'm A Celebrity's D'Acampo and Manning face rat charges

[xxMATTGxx]

I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! winner Gino D'Acampo and Stuart Manning face charges of animal cruelty after cooking and eating a rat in the show.

The RSPCA in New South Wales, Australia, said it was "not acceptable" that a rat had been killed by the pair as part of a performance.

Police confirmed they had issued court attendance notices for 3 February 2010.

The Italian chef and actor ate the rat after they were "exiled" and reduced to rations of rice and beans on the show.

D'Acampo, 33, told the show's video diary room, the Bush Telegraph: "I saw one of these rats running around. I got a knife, I got its throat, I picked it up."

The "exiled" group, including 30-year-old Manning, ate the rat as part of a meal.

Ch Insp David Oshannessy, from the RSPCA in New South Wales, told BBC Radio 5 live there was a "code of practice" which dictated how animals could be used in theatrical productions and films.

"The killing of a rat for a performance is not acceptable. The concern is this was done purely for the cameras," he said.

'Ongoing'

The charity sends staff whenever animals are used for filmed or live performances, he said, and so had been in contact with the programme's producers before the rat was killed.

"Production staff have to summit a notification form to the RSPCA or Animal Welfare League - both are charged with responsibilities under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.

"But we received no pre-notice or advice this segment was going to occur, it happened on a day no animals were featuring in production, so we didn't have an officer there," he said.

Inquiries were "very much ongoing" and the RSPCA was not "ruling out" further charges against the production company ITV, he added.

A spokesman added: "Police from Murwillumbah yesterday issued field court attendance notices to two men aged 30 and 33 for the offence of animal cruelty.

"They are due to attend court at Murwillumbah local court on 3 February 2010."

ITV was unavailable for comment.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8397691.stm


Does anyone else think this is a bit stupid? I never knew it was so bad to kill a rat over there. I'm sure they only did it for food as well. Good luck to them both!

[Mathew]

How pathetic. They really need to get a grip if that is their argument. If you're stuck in the jungle, you're hardly gonna think twice about killing something.

That's lowered what I thought of the RSPCA now.

[Sunnily]

Even though i care alot about animals i don't think they have to be that tight. The jungle was miles away from where they was anyway.

[Molly.22]

Thats just pathetic, if it was that serious they would have been pulled out of the show.

[Smits]

I like how the RSPCA have said it was done purely for the cameras. They talk absolute ****. They need to wake up, look around and realise animals are used for food, sad *******s who thought to make these charges, only thinking about money.

[Gullable]

how petty, seriously people get let off for things like burglary and stuff and then there taking them to court for a stupid rat:S gets on my nerves.

[Technologic]

Stupid tree hugging hippies

[Inseriousity.]

Just those two? Is it for the killing or the eating? Cos there were the rest of the exile camp who ate the rat too but if it was just for the killing/cooking, it'd make sense.

Well, not sense because it's a completely stupid case. They were hungry and basic human survival nature is to eat whatever is available!

[Ardemax]

I think it's a bit OTT.

[Black_Apalachi]

Killing an animal quickly is bad but throwing thousands of creatures into tanks of water with people jumping about and eating them is fine? :S

[xxMATTGxx]

Just those two? Is it for the killing or the eating? Cos there were the rest of the exile camp who ate the rat too but if it was just for the killing/cooking, it'd make sense.

Well, not sense because it's a completely stupid case. They were hungry and basic human survival nature is to eat whatever is available!


Killing an animal quickly is bad but throwing thousands of creatures into tanks of water with people jumping about and eating them is fine? :S

From what I read this is for "killing" and not for anyone who ate it. The animals that used for the bush trails are different because they are always around humans sort of speak.


"There were rats used for the bushtucker trials and they were as tame as hamsters," a source said. "They were used to human contact and not afraid like wild ones who would run away. The killing made for dramatic TV. But it's likely the animal was one of the trial rats."

The RSPCA think the killing was all done for the TV and cameras and that's why they are going crazy about it. Because normally if there is any animals involved in the production and so on, they have an officer there. But to be honest, they didn't have much food due to not winning a good amount of stars so Gino and the other bloke killed it for something to eat. Nothing to take them to court for :/

[Black_Apalachi]

What do you mean? They're just bugs etc that are caught. And they get eaten alive which is clearly worse.

[xxMATTGxx]

What do you mean? They're just bugs etc that are caught. And they get eaten alive which is clearly worse.

They don't class as that "worse". Eating bugs isn't exactly bad. I don't know why they are going crazy over a rat either.

Edit: They don't mind the trials, because they are tested with qualified people and RSPCA over there have officers at the trials for when this happens. Or they can come and watch any trial they wish. But due to the people who do the show didn't tell them about this "Rat Killing" they seemed to of got angry.

[Callum.]

it's a rat. i hate rats, kill them.

[Jordy]

I reckon they'll get away with it, how were they to know it's illegal and there were lots of camera people watching them anyway who could of intervened.

In the UK, Rats and Pigeons are considered vermin which I believe means you can do whatever you like with them other than feed and look after them. They might get away with it if they claim they didn't know, it's a perfectly innocent mistake and I'm pretty sure Australia could do without a lot of bad press coverage from the UK.

[GommeInc]

What a load of crap, is the Austrailian RSPCA's other name PETA? Moaning for the sake of looking like right arses... Crocodiles and other animals considered uncommon to domesticated rats, getting killed to be eaten as a performance on the show is apparently more sensible? :S

All they did was kill a rat to eat, why are the RSPCA only interested in the killing part, and not the eating part? They should be happy that the rat was safe, and not a wild one that might have all sorts of bugs and viruses and so forth. Hopefully the people who brought this up in the RSPCA are Koala food, they're too stupid to be let out near other humans, they might spread the stupid.

[Andeeh]

most pathetic load of tosh I have heard for about a week.

[Misawa]

Absolutely pathetic. So now they're expected to fly for 23 hours just to go to court on a rediculous charge? If this gets that far, expect ITV to settle it out of court with a payment.

[Eoin]

hmm yeah, because rats are such an indangered species :rolleyes:

[Misawa]

Rats are vermin. You are ALLOWED to kill rats.

Saying that Gino killed the rat for the cameras? He's a CHEF!!!!!!!

[Nixt]

Lmao at this, it's ridiculous. I find it extremely unlikely they will get convicted of animal cruelty... if they killed it in a humane manner and then ate it, what the hell is the problem? Yeah the fact the cameras were there may have played a part in the situation but they ate it and they were hungry. Fair enough I say.

[leah]

thats pathetic... they've been punished enough by having to eat a rat

[kuzkasate]

To be honest, you cant blame them. If your stuck in a jungle and went into "exile" which basically is a complete and utter pig-sty, with no food and nothing to do, if you see a rat ofc your going to kill it and eat it!
And its hardly their fault, because due to the fact no action was taken in the jungle, that means there was no rule or w.e for not killing and eating animals... they weren't told so then how is it their fault? :S

[-:Undertaker:-]

Political Correctness gone bonkers yet again.

[alexxxxx]

this is ridiculous.

[Misawa]

The judge will laugh it out of court if it gets that far, which I doubt it will.

[Robbie]

The judge will laugh it out of court if it gets that far, which I doubt it will.

There is a court date set.

[-:Undertaker:-]

Has it crossed the pen pushers minds that thousands upon thousasnds of rats die every hour from poisen, being killed in machinary in factories, being eaten alive by birds of prey, being attacked by other rats and the list goes on I suppose.

[Jord]

HAHAHA A RAT

WOW

I really hate RSPCA Even more right now, Pissing me off a bloody RAT

[Coheed&Cambria]

HAHAHA A RAT

WOW

I really hate RSPCA Even more right now, Pissing me off a bloody RAT

Why did you hate them in the first place?