Rat risotto anyone....?
The one thing that has had us talking collectively as a nation over recent months has been I'm a celebrity get me out of here but for reasons none of us could have predicted.
Following Italian chef and This Morning' personality Gino being crowned 'King of the Jungle', he was abruptly arrested by Australian authorities, not for some sordid scandal which had unraveled whilst his time in exile, but for reasons which deserve nothing more than a good debate.
Hunger took over, and, fed up of measly diet of a handful of rice a day, Gino the chef decided to put the jungle's 'recourses' to good use. Yes, he had the 'ingenious' idea of sacrificing a local rat, so pleased were his fellow campers with supper they crowned him 'super-chef'; reporting to the viewers that supper really was very good, and that it tasted, 'just like chicken'! All very well, till he was crowned King. He was also abruptly informed by Australian authorities that he and his fellow camper, Stewart were to face prosecution, the trial will take place next year, such an event came about, because the rat was in-fact not a 'native' rat but a 'pet' yes, all adds to the effect you see . . . thus he faces charges of animal cruelty.
David O'Shannessy, RSPCA chief inspector for New South Wales, is quoted as saying that the maximum penalty for "aggravated animal cruelty" is two years in jail and a hefty 22.000 dollar fine under state laws. Turns out that that 'rat risotto' which seemed like a very good idea at the time, could well turn out to be one of the most expensive culinary delights ever served! The real debate of course lies in that the very pretence that 'celeb' is built on is that of the human consumption of creepy crawlies, live creepy crawlies at that, something which has had animal activists up in arms since the launch, something which though has received very little media attention, as a result has been kept of public domain for open debate.
ITV are now will probably have no choice but to address these issues, especially as it has since been revealed by some of the contestants that ITV actually gave permission to Stewart an Gino to sacrifice the rat, sure they did, it will create a media storm - they no doubt thought, perhaps the storm will follow was not quite what they were hoping for though - Surely, a contradiction in terms?
These creepy crawlies are bred (en mass) for the sole purpose of being consumed - live. If not being consumed, being drowned in water or suffocated in slime. Activists argue that we have no right to play god as to we choose to 'kill' and not, that discrimination should not occur, rather, all creatures should be treated with the same respect. Respect. One cant help thinking that they have a point, hypocritical is an understatement in regards to the reaction, when for that one rat, hundreds, upon hundreds of thousands of creatures have met their fate purely for the purposes of entertainment.
Only time will tell if Gino and Stewart will face jail sentences for their crimes against rodents.
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