Animal rights organization PETA slammed President Obama in the wake of reports that he will appear on the NBC reality show Running Wild with Bear Grylls.
Obama will film the episode of the show during his three-day sojourn in Alaska this week and it will air on NBC later this year. The program follows survival expert Bear Grylls as he teaches celebrities how to develop survival skills, and Obama’s episode will particularly spotlight climate change.
"Bear Grylls’ shows are known as the bottom of the barrel in demeaning, sexist, species-ist, and who knows what other ‘-ist’ TV reality shows—and that’s certainly saying something," PETA president Ingrid Newkirk said in a statement Monday, according to Entertainment Weekly.
"This internationally condemned program, on which women have been bullied into slitting a baby pig’s throat and eating a mouse soaked in urine, is the last place for the 44th president to be seen," Newark continued. "There are far better ways to get the message about global climate change out than by appearing on this disgusting show."
PETA has a history of taking issue with the first family. Last Thanksgiving, the organization called on Obama’s daughters to urge the president to end the "offensive turkey pardon" ceremony that marks the holiday at the White House.
And, earlier in 2014, PETA criticized first lady Michelle Obama for using real hard-boiled eggs during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll.
In its second season, Running Wild has chronicled Grylls’ efforts to test the survival skills of multiple celebrities, including Kate Winslet, Drew Brees, Kate Hudson, Zac Efron, Michelle Rodriguez, and Channing Tatum.
Grylls is a former British Special Forces soldier and one of the youngest climbers to reach Mount Everest’s summit.