介绍:
Wonderful Friends, a Chinese reality television show has been condemned by animal rights activists. The show features celebrities performing tasks with animals at a zoo in south China.
Among the show's more controversial moments are scenes in which Huang Xuan, a Chinese actor, gives a pedicure to an elephant and another in which a chimpanzee is forced to dress up as Superman.
Wildlife activists are calling for the program to be scrapped
accusing producers of exploiting animals to boost their ratings.
The producer of the show stated nothing on the show ever goes against either animal protection laws or the wellbeing of animals.
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(John) Wang Hui, an animal rights protector in Hong Kong comments on telegraph.co.uk,
"If I had to cut all the inappropriate parts from the show, I don't think there would be much left. It is very painful for elephants to do headstands and chimpanzees do not need to wear clothes."
(ZJN) Xiaolukou says on weibo.com,
"I think it's OK. Really from the show I've learnt that animals and human beings could actually establish emotional connections. And I think audiences will try to protect wild animals with more effort after watching the show."
(LK) Wanshuer says on weibo.com,
"I am really sad to see the show come to an end. It warms my heart every time I watched it."
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Notes:
The weekly program premiered in late January and proved an immediate hit. More than 20 million people tuned into its first episode.
The show, called "Wonderful Friends," is the latest programming success from Hunan TV. The broadcaster, based in Changsha, was behind the hugely popular talent show "Super Girl," which drew more than 400 million viewers for its season finale in 2005 when viewers got to vote for their favorite contestant.
The winning "Super Girl" herself, Li Yuchun, is now a major pop singer and among the six stars on "Wonderful Friends." The new show was an immediate hit. An estimated 20 million people watched the first episode when it aired on Jan. 24. Seven episodes in, it has attracted more than 196,000 followers on Sina Weibo, China's Twitter-like social media platform.
In each episode, Ms. Li and her fellow participants are given zookeeping tasks that allow them to interact with wild animals at Chimelong Safari Park in the southern city of Guangzhou, whose website boasts of 20,000 rare animals and "the world's most enchanting white tiger performance for guests." The show's mission, Chimelong says on its website, is to bring humans and animals closer together.
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(John) Leo Luojiayuan says on weibo.com,
"Using animals for entertainment is wrong, especially when they are put into situations that are cruel, stressful, and unnatural. This television show is sending all the wrong messages, and should be stopped immediately."
(ZJN) Xie Yan, a zoologist says on twitter,
"Many people may think getting cuddly is an expression of love. What they don't realize is wild animals need space. Putting clothes on chimpanzees is not as adorable as you may think from the animals' point of view."
(LK) May Mei says on twitter.com,
"I guess their idea was to get their viewers to love the animals, which could be a promising start for conservation efforts. But we do not agree with their entertainment-oriented approach."
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