Gordon Ramsay, Gino D’Acampo and Fred Sirieix have been dubbed “idiots” for making a little donkey pull them along on a cart.
Animal rights campaigners claim the animal was clearly struggling with their weight in ITV show Gordon, Gino and Fred: Christmas Road Trip.
Audrey Gaffney, of The Ethical Bucket List, has complained directly to ITV.
She said: “It is clearly unacceptable for a small animal like this to pull four adult men on a cart. It’s quite disconcerting that no one involved questioned this.
“Again ITV have failed to undertake adequate research of this extremely important issue, and as is usually the case the animal will suffer. This is unacceptable from the UK’s leading commercial broadcaster.”
The incident occurred when the men’s van supposedly broke down in Morocco.
Ms Gaffney said donkeys in such countries are often denied shade and water in searing temperatures.
She added they “can also be overloaded with passengers or carts with poor quality fitting saddles and harnesses, that cause cuts and injuries”.
Brooke, a charity that improves the lives of working donkeys around the world, said: “We spend a lot of time telling people that it isn’t OK, and then you have three pretty influential men doing it.
“It’s easy for people watching to think they can do it too when they go on holiday. They would’ve had a crew who have vehicles so it’s totally unnecessary. At one point Gordon says he can walk faster, which begs the question, ‘why don’t you then?’”
Animal rights campaigner and TV presenter Jan Leeming branded the trio “idiots”. She added: “Didn’t it cross their minds that the load was too great for the poor little creature?”
ITV has come under fire before for failing to address animal cruelty concerns in their programmes.
Bosses refused to apologise after Martin Clunes clambered up an elephant’s trunk in My Travels and Other Animals.
They were also criticised for Trevor McDonald’s Indian Train Adventure when he visited an elephant sanctuary that let tourists climb on them.
An ITV spokesman said of the latest controversy: “Our production team worked to ensure animal welfare ahead of and throughout filming.”
