Channel 4 has defended the killing of a crocodile on survival show Celebrity Island.
Tuesday night’s instalment of the Bear Grylls programme saw Olympic runner Iwan Thomas and Coronation Street actor Ryan Thomas kill a caiman crocodile for food, after not eating properly for days.
The scenes proved to be distressing for some viewers, who said on social media that it was “cruel” and “disgusting” to kill an animal for television.
“I don’t know how much I agree with the torture of a crocodile for an hour for a bunch of idiots,” one person posted on Twitter.
Channel 4 said the crocodile was killed humanely and that hunting food was part of the programme.
A statement said: “An important part of the series is to find out if the celebrities are capable of surviving alone and able to find sources of food, including hunting and killing for meat; a vital part of their survival as it is a source of valuable calories and protein.
“The celebrities were trained in the humane capture and dispatch of live animals as part of their survival training and the adult caiman was killed humanely.”
Regulator Ofcom has received 11 complaints about the scenes.
The media watchdog said: “We’ve had 11 complaints about last night’s episode, all related to the caiman scene.
“We’ll assess these complaints before deciding whether or not to investigate.”
Celebrity Island returned to Channel 4 last week with a fresh host of stars left to face the elements and fend for themselves on an island.
