'Autumnwatch' host slams jungle trials

Autumnwatch presenter Chris Packham has complained about the way animals are treated on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!.

Speaking to The Sun, the wildlife expert accused producers of plugging up spiders' fangs before placing them in a tank with Katie Price on the current series.

He commented: "I've seen spiders with plugs on their fangs. It's not going to do them any good. And who wants to be in a tank full of water with Jordan writhing around on you? If Jordan goes back in the tank they should take the ties off their mouths.

"I like the premise of the programme and I'm not anti-fun, I just wish they would find challenges for them to do which didn't involve abusing animals."

Meanwhile, in an interview with Yours magazine, Packham reportedly criticised the ITV1 show's infamous eating trials, which see the celebrities dining on various jungle critters.

"From the first series I've been appalled by the way they abuse animals," he said. "What sickens me more than anything is when people say, 'But they're only insects'. The insects are wriggling as they shove them into their mouths. Surely they have feelings?"

The final of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! airs tonight at 8.30pm on ITV1.