Mumbai: Besides the 18 inmates of Bigg Boss house, the Salman Khan-hosted reality show has an additional contestant this year — a real donkey.
Keeping a donkey confined to Bigg Boss house along with humans has angered People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and animal lovers across the country.
“The contestants are trapped there with their consent, but the donkey is not,” a Reddit user wrote.
On Wednesday, advocacy associate with PETA India wrote a letter to Bigg Boss host Salman, expressing the displeasure of animal lovers.
“We are being inundated with complaints by members of the public who are deeply distressed over the keeping of a donkey in the Bigg Boss house. Their concerns are valid and must not be ignored,” the letter stated.
Describing the confinement of the donkey in ‘Bigg Boss’ house as ‘distressing’, PETA has requested Salman to “surrender the donkey to PETA India, to rehome in a sanctuary with other rescued donkeys”.
The letter further stated that the “use of animals on a show set is no laughing matter”, and asked Salman to “avoid using animals as props for entertainment”.
The donkey was brought on the show by Advocate Sadavarte, one of the contestants. While introducing the donkey during the grand premiere of Bigg Boss 18, Salman asked all contestants to take care of the animal during its stay in the house.
