Fury at 'tasteless' TV rat barbecue

Island paradise Pulau Tiga. But not if you're a rat

US animal rights activists have given TV giant CBS a roasting over its hit show that involves people eating barbecued rats.

There's nothing funny about it. It's disgusting

Peta

Contestants on Survivor trap the rats on the beach of the remote Pacific island of Pulau Tiga, and then skin and eat them.

A small group from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) protested outside CBS's New York offices, attacking the show's "archaic and barbaric promotions of animal cruelty".

"You have people who think it's fun to trap rats, cut off their legs, skin them and eat them," said RaeLeann Smith of Peta.

In each episode of Survivor, two opposing teams known as "tribes" compete to survive the hardships of life on the desert island, about 50 km (31 miles) off the coast of Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.

The tribe judged to have lost must vote out one of its members and the last "survivor" gets to pocket $1m.

Rat 'invaders'

Richard: Killed rat for bait

However, it appears that one competitor, Richard, got a bit carried away in his quest for the cash.

In the first episode of the show, the 39-year-old business consultant was seen grandly pulling an island rat out of a trap and killing it for fish bait.

We truly believe our viewers recognise that hunting and fishing as a means of sustenance has been acceptable since the dawn of time

CBS

By the third episode, the hungry castaways had apparently decided the rats were too good for the fish and were filmed trapping, chopping and skinning them, before grilling them over a fire.

A CBS spokesman said Survivor participants were instructed not to harm creatures indigenous to the island, such as monkeys and lizards.

But the rats were invaders that came to Pulau Tiga from passing ships, spokesman Chris Ender said.

Surviving: The castaways arrive

Whatever the rights and wrongs of roasting rats for food, the programme has taken on a life of its own in the US.

The expression, "I vote you off the island" has passed into everyday use, and t-shirts are on sale with the slogan "Don't vote me off."

CBS executives will also draw comfort from Survivor's record ratings.

The third episode, including the rat-grilling, attracted 23 million viewers, 5 million more than the previous week, setting a new record for CBS audience figures.