Reality show found less than wonderful

Chinese showbiz entertainers Li Yuchun, Ni Ni, Myolie Wu, Huang Xuan, Du Haitao and Du Tianhao take part in a new reality TV show "Wonderful Friends", created and produced by Hunan TV. The six stars will serve as animal keepers at a safari. [Photo/Xinhua]

The reality TV show Wonderful Friends, which trains popular Chinese singers and movie stars to be keepers in a zoo, has high ratings, but there are some who criticize the show and want it to be stopped for the sake of the animals. Comments:

The reality show goes against many scientific principles of animal protection, such as don't disturb animals, don't have close contact with wild animals, and don't treat animals as humans. Any behavior that is against the animals' well-being should not be tolerated. If human beings really want to be friends with animals, maybe it would be best to just leave them alone.

China Youth Daily, March 25

We don't doubt that the stars who participated in the show really like animals, we see the efforts they make to care for the animals, but it is impossible to prove that the show hasn't had a detrimental effect on the animals' lives. Parts of the show are designed to create suspense or conflicts, which goes against animal protection.

Xinmin Evening News, March 23

Facing widespread criticism from animal protection groups, the producer of the reality show Wonderful Friends has responded that the show hasn't violated any law. This is because there are some loopholes in the animal protection law, because it mainly deals with the direct result of people's behavior toward animals, such as physical abuse. Amendments to the Animal Welfare Law are needed to prevent such things happening again.

GMW.cn, March 23