Sir David Attenborough has blasted new animal rights legislation after the making of 40 Years of Life On Earth was thrown into chaos.

The 2016 Act - which gives animals on TV the same rights as humans - has catapulted creatures such as Waldorf the whale, who was trapped in the Thames three years ago, on to the UK's rich list.

Only Paul O'Grady's dog Buster and Nigella Lawson's mongoose Christine have earned more money this year.

All animals filmed for TV are now members of Equity and must be given a contract and a fair wage for their work.

But Attenborough has described the move as "political correctness gone mad". The 91-year-old, who has signed a 10-year "golden handcuffs" deal with the BBC, insisted that his job has become impossible because the new law means filming animals in the wild is a breach of their rights.

He told DS: "Suddenly protecting the privacy of animals is more important than what we can learn by observing them. Now it seems that every meerkat and porcupine has an agent and they all want their 10%.

"We've even had to abandon Big Cat Diary because they can't fit us into their schedule. And I was appalled to hear that a snowy owl has a restraining order against Bill Oddie."

Waldorf is currently in rehab following reports that he has blown £4 million on krill in the last year.

His publicist Max Clifford hit back at Attenborough's claims, saying: "The BBC has made millions from the Earth's animals, it's time they got something back."

Nobel Prize winner Paris Hilton said: "My only concern is where the money is going and if it's being used for the animals' benefit. The last thing we want is unscrupulous agents cashing in on these creatures' fame and fortune because they can't speak up for themselves."

Control of the Hilton hotel chain was recently seized in a leveraged buyout in the name of a family of celebrity terrapins.