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Two contestants on an American reality TV show have been disqualified after hunting, killing and eating protected birds in New Zealand.
Spencer “Corey” Jones, a contestant on the American-produced show Race for Survival: New ZealandHe was disqualified along with teammate Oliver Dev for killing a weka, an iconic native bird that is extinct in much of the country.
The reality show, which aired its 10th and final episode on Monday, sees nine teams of two released into the wild and competing in a series of long-distance races over several weeks for a chance at a top prize of $500,000 (£387,322). The contestants are required to hunt and forage for food as they compete.
The producers were shown announcing on camera that Jones and Dev had been disqualified at the end of Episode 8, and Dev was shown admitting to eating “one of the creatures that was wandering around camp and that we weren’t allowed to eat,” but no further details were provided on the show at the time.
Officials have now confirmed the animal they killed was a weka. The species, which is native to New Zealand, is fully protected under the country’s conservation laws.
According to local media and footage from the show, Jones appeared to know the bird was protected when he killed it, and in the footage he apologized and said he had made a “stupid” mistake.
“There was this really deep desire to eat, and I was like, ‘Let’s just break the rules,'” he says in episode 4. “I knew it was breaking the rules, but when you’re hungry, it doesn’t matter.
“What I did was disrespect New Zealand and I apologise,” he said.
Dev said the duo “had a strategy for the race, but they weren’t prepared for the hunger.”
Both Jones and Dev were disqualified shortly after crossing the finish line in the eighth series. The rules violations occurred early in the competition and were not shown on camera.
Participants said they knew what was going to happen.
“We were approached [by a producer] Such accusations were made at the third survival camp, Jones said. reality tea Earlier this month. “I owned it.”
New Zealand’s Department of Conservation said it received a warning from representatives of the US production company, Original Productions, shortly after the incident.
Officials conducted an investigation and issued written warnings to the company and the contestants, citing “unusual group dynamics,” including cast fatigue and extreme hunger.
“Nevertheless, killing and eating a native species in this case is unacceptable, and the company was ‘notified’ that its program participants must comply with conservation laws,” Dylan Swain, the department’s investigations team leader, said in a statement to 1News.
