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PETA Germany Names Patrick Romer 'Speciesism of the Month' Over Dschungelcamp Insect Abuse

The animal-rights group is using the episode to pressure RTL/ITV to drop live-animal trials on the German reality show.

Overview

  • PETA Deutschland awarded Romer its January 2026 'Speziesismus des Monats' after he was shown stomping insects and throwing one into the campfire on Dschungelcamp.
  • PETA specialist Peter Höffke called the behavior 'primitive and shameful' and condemned Romer’s claim that 'useful' animals should live while 'vermin' should be killed.
  • Host Sonja Zietlow told viewers the actions violated show rules and, in her view, breached Australian animal-welfare law.
  • PETA criticized RTL and ITV Studios Germany for a lax on-air response and renewed calls to eliminate live animals from trials, noting it had previously offered money to support the change.
  • Social-media users and some campmates expressed anger over the incident, while no legal proceedings have been reported.