Survivor Pig Killing Investigated

February 23, 2001 -- The untimely demise of a little wild pig on Survivor: The Australian Outback is causing an uproar among animal rights activists, and next week Aussie officials will review the CBS program to see if the show violated animal cruelty laws.

The Feb. 15 episode of the hit reality show turned gory when a wiry black pig ran through the Kucha tribe's camp. Self-proclaimed tribal leader Michael Skupin, a 38-year-old software publisher from Michigan, repeatedly stabbed the unlucky porker and later smeared its blood on his cheeks. Afterward, the food-deprived tribe eagerly dined on its ribs in the outback.

Kucha's resident vegetarian, New York bartender Kimmi Kappenberg — whose distaste for meat may have lead to her ousting on Thursday's show — wasn't the only one upset by the pig murder. Last week, various U.S. groups protested the killing, claiming it was unnecessary.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals complained to the Queensland, Australia, government. According to The Associated Press, PETA asked authorities to investigate the killing.

A rep for the government's animal welfare department said the unit, along with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, will look into the pig's murder next week.

The incident may have violated Queensland's Animal Protection Act, though many of the wild pigs are killed by licensed hunters because locals see the animals as pests, the AP notes.