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Malang, East Java. Animal rights activists took to the streets of Malang on Thursday to protest what they said was the cruel and inhumane exploitation of wildlife in local television shows.

Rosek Nursahid, the protest coordinator and chairman of ProFauna, a wildlife conservation group, said most shows that featured animals did not take their welfare into consideration.

He cited in particular the shows “Petualangan Panji,” “Gadis Petualang” and “Steve Ewon Sang Pemburu,” all of which are modeled on the popular “Crocodile Hunter” series that featured the late Steve Irwin.

In the shows, the hosts wrangle a variety of wild animals, including snakes and crocodiles. Rosek contends that many of the animals are endangered and thus protected under the law.

Also, he said, it appeared that most of them were captured elsewhere and released at a specific site to make it seem as though the host had tracked down and captured the animal there.

“In ‘Petualangan Panji,’ the fact that they stage the scenes is very clear,” Rosek said. “There are procedures in place for capturing and transporting wildlife in accordance with animal welfare considerations, but the way these shows do it leaves the animals stressed and suffering.”

Rosek said ProFauna had reported the shows to the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI), which is responsible for ensuring broadcasters’ compliance with prevailing laws and regulations.

“We received positive feedback from the KPI, which said it would investigate our report as long as the shows in question were still on the air,” he said.

Rosek added that there were other shows with similar themes in which the animals appeared to be treated more humanely.

“You can see the hosts capture these animals in the wild but in a manner that doesn’t stress the animals and that isn’t staged,” he said.

Aroung 100 university students attended the protest.

“It’s sad to watch those shows and see the animals suffering,” said Diana Purmasari, a veterinary student from Hasanuddin University in Makassar, South Sulawesi.

“We’re joining this protest because we care about the animals’ welfare.”