BBC Breakfast viewers were left horrified after a reporter bragged about animal cruelty.
Regular show hosts Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt kicked off what seemed like an innocent gardening segment, but things took a sudden turn when they handed over to Jonah Fisher.
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The Beeb climate and environment correspondent ended up making a shocking admission live on air.
By way of introduction to the topic, Naga said: “They’ve long been considered an enemy of gardeners everywhere, but now there’s a new campaign which hopes to give slugs and snails a bit of a makeover.”
Charlie added: “The Royal Horticultural Society wants us to challenge our negative perceptions of the much-maligned creatures by considering their contributions to the ecosystem.”
They then handed over the focus to Jonah, who was meeting with Dr Andrew Salisbury in RHS Wisley to discuss the importance of slugs.
Although the bug expert advocated for slugs being a necessary part of the garden ecosystem, Jonah wasn’t convinced.
He admitted to personal violence against the creepy crawlies, saying: “I was out in my allotment in Cardiff this last weekend…and every time I saw a slug I picked it up, I ripped it apart, I killed it. Because I don’t want it eating my plants.”
Viewers were appalled by his confession, and took to social media to slam his attitude.
One person hit out, asking: “Who the hell is the presenter talking about slugs – ‘I find them, pick them up and rip them apart, i kill them’. What kind of maniacs are you hiring!”
Another chimed in: “Your reporter is a psychotic nutter who rips slugs apart?”
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A third couldn’t believe their ears, questioning: “Ripped a slug apart? Did I hear that correctly?”
Animal charity PETA have now condemned his comments, with Vice President Elisa Allen telling the Metro: “Like all animals, slugs suffer terribly when they are poisoned, drowned, or killed in any other crude way – and only a schoolyard bully would brag about ripping them apart.
“Nature’s recyclers, these much-maligned molluscs eat decaying plant matter and play a vital role in our ecosystems.”
