Bear Grylls’ show ‘The Island’ hasn’t been without its drama, but the latest controversy to hit the show centres on a rather large mistake.
The male competitors had barely eaten for a fortnight, reports The Sun, when they spotted, killed and ate a common caiman crocodile.
Bear Grylls with the male contestants
However, as the men enjoyed their feast, producers realised that the croc was actually too large to be caiman, and identified it as an American crocodile - a species that’s considered endangered and is protected by international hunting laws.
A Channel 4 spokesperson has commented on the unfortunate incident, telling The Sun: “This was a genuine and regrettable error. Prior to filming experts were consulted to ascertain species on both islands and the American crocodile was not known to be in the area or on the island.
“The relevant national environment agency are aware of the incident and have granted a licence to replace the animal which has now been done.”
‘The Island’ has drawn criticism before, and last year, producers were accused of fakery when Bear’s statement that “none of these men [on the show] have any experience of surviving in the wild” turned out to be false.