The bats got the last laugh... ------------------------------------------------ 'Man vs. Wild' star Bear Grylls fired by TV network LOS ANGELES | Tue Mar 13, 2012 7:05pm EDT (Reuters) - Bear Grylls, the British adventurer and star of survival show "Man vs. Wild", has been fired by U.S. cable television network Discovery Channel in a contract dispute. Grylls, 37, who was dropped into hostile places to survive by eating insects, wading rapids and drinking his urine, has hosted the TV show since 2006, becoming a celebrity around the world. But Discovery Channel said on Tuesday that "due to a continuing contractual dispute with Bear Grylls, Discovery has terminated all current productions with him."
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/13/entertainment-us-beargrylls-idUSBRE82C1FO20120313 (previously) From Bat Conservation International: A recent episode of Discovery Channel’s Man vs. Wild featured Bear Grylls gleefully killing bats with a homemade club. The clip, which shows Grylls throwing a flame in a cave to “smoke out” the bats, swatting them to the ground and then stomping on them, has aired internationally and been posted on YouTube, allowing for continued access. (Update: Since this article was published, the video has been removed from YouTube). Intentionally or not, this clip perpetuates negative attitudes toward bats and could generate senseless copycat activity and/or the type of vandalism that is driving many bat species to the brink of extinction. Only four months ago, a Kentucky man was sentenced to eight months in jail after pleading guilty to beating to death 105 endangered Indiana bats. (forwarded from Matt Bowers on NSSWest)
