Two contestants in the latest season of USA Network's Race to Survive were kicked off the reality show after one of them killed and ate a protected bird in New Zealand.
Spencer "Corry" Jones admitted that he knew they were "breaking a rule" (as in the law) when he caught, killed, and devoured the native, flightless weka bird. But he said he was "desperate and hungry." (See video below, posted by USA Network.)
"Survival in the bush of New Zealand is not easy," the young gentleman reflected. "We did have strategies in place for the racing, but we didn't prepare for hunger. At survival camp, it is difficult to be in a place where you're so desperate and hungry." Of course, the reality of reality shows is that there is always a camera crew around, and where there is a camera crew, there is a craft services food-spread nearby. Or at least a backpack full of snacks.
So the fact is, it's not that Jones, who was with teammate Oliver Dev, ate an off-limits, vulnerable animal so that he wouldn't starve to death, but rather, it was so he wouldn't lose the game.
The disqualified contestant has since apologized for "disrespecting New Zealand." Meanwhile, "New Zealand officials have now issued warnings to the show's producers," according to The New York Times.
From The Independent:
Spencer "Corry" Jones, a contestant on the American-produced show Race to Survive: New Zealand, was disqualified along with his teammate Oliver Dev for killing a weka bird, an iconic indigenous species which is extinct across large parts of the country.
The reality show, whose 10th and final episode aired on Monday, saw nine teams of two released into the wilderness, where they competed in a series of long-distance races over several weeks for a grand prize of $500,000 (£387,322). The contestants are supposed to hunt and forage for their food during the competition.
Producers were shown on camera informing Jones and Dev that they were being disqualified at the end of episode eight, and Dev is seen admitting they ate "one of the creatures running around camp that we were not allowed to eat", though the show did not provide further details at that time.
Officials have now confirmed that the animal they killed was a weka. Native to New Zealand, the species is fully protected by the country's conservation laws.
And from The New York Times:
A representative for the production company alerted officials to the incident soon after it took place, Dylan Swain, a spokesman at the Department of Conservation, said in a statement. Producers of the show had received a permit to film on public conservation land, he said, which had laid out "clear conditions stating protected species and plants could not be harvested or consumed."
After an investigation, Mr. Swain said that the department ultimately sent written warnings to the production company and the contestant. According to its site, the penalty for killing protected wildlife could run up to two years in prison or a fine up to $100,000 New Zealand dollars, or nearly $60,000.
Previously: Canadian teenager carves name into Japanese treasure: faces severe penalties
