If I Could Walk with the Animals

Back when I was still living at home (And still today come to think of it), my mother always told me that my room was like a pig sty. After watching the BBC’s ground breaking new documentary/ reality show “My life as an animal”, I beg to differ.

As far as the pitch goes it couldn’t be weirder. Two people are to join the show and live as animals do on a farm yard. They sleep with the animals, live with the animals, eat what they eat, do what they do, and even talk with them. One spends three days on an organic farm, the other is intensively reared. On the fourth day, they swap.

The first episode was pigs. The show was very interesting, with Mrs Horn (Despite getting the better end of the stick and living organically), totally breaking down, and Mr Da Costa throwing himself wholeheartedly into the spirit of the thing (as well as the pig sh*t), going so far as to learn and apply piggy lingo- with startlingly effective results!

This is the second series that the BBC has produced in recent months taking a strong look at animals, farming and animal rights. The first was the controversial show, ‘Kill it, cook it, Eat it’, in which people had to hunt, prepare and finally eat wild game, ranging from deer to pheasant to rabbit.

Some people would say that this new series of ‘edgy; programmes are just designed to shock and stun. They pull no punches, graphically showing the whole process of animal farming from birth to the dinner plate, including images of pigs being slaughtered.

As a meat eater who is also a (somewhat lapse) Buddhist, I find this very interesting- and I approve. In today’s society we are so far removed from the source of our food that many of us don’t even see the slice of meat on our plate as a once living being. I would happily try any meat, from venison to rabbit, to dog. Kangaroo meat was very nice. I don’t differentiate, but I do bear in mind that meat was once a living animal with thoughts, intelligence and emotion.

I therefore praise the BBC for going ahead and challenging the preconceptions of both meat eaters, and vegetarians, showing us with total accuracy and transparency, exactly what eating meat entails. And you know what? It doesn’t bother me in the slightest.

I’d heartily recommend the new show ‘My life as an animal’ to anyone who has ever thought about the morality of eating meat. The show is very informative, but also manages to be entertaining at the same time. However, it will disturb those of you with a weak stomach or if you are a hardcore animal rights activist. But if you are prepared to put aside your preconceptions for an hour and watch with a neutral attitude, you will at least find your opinions better informed.

Yours with a keyboard in one hand and a bacon cheese beef burger in the other,

• Watch My Life as an animal on the BBC iplayer (UK only)
• Da Costa’s notes on the experience.