The BBC has defended a controversial sequence in its rebooted documentary series Tribe, in which presenter Bruce Parry suffocated a goat to death while living with Angola’s Mucubal community. The moment, which aired in the second episode of the three-part series, has drawn sharp criticism from animal rights groups, particularly Peta UK, while also prompting debate about cultural representation in documentary filmmaking.
Parry, a former Royal Marine and seasoned explorer, has spent two decades documenting the lives of indigenous peoples in some of the most remote regions of the world. His original BBC series "Tribe", which aired between 2005 and 2007, saw him immersing himself in local cultures, participating in sacred rituals, and experiencing traditional ways of life firsthand.
In this latest installment of "Tribe", Parry lived among three isolated communities worldwide: the Waimaha people in Colombia, the Marapu of Indonesia, and the Mucubal community in Angola. While filming with the Mucubal, he faced a particularly distressing challenge when one of the tribe’s leaders gifted him a goat and instructed him to slaughter it immediately.
“I wasn't given any time to consider it or anything. It's like they held it and said you have to hold this now... so I did,” Parry recalled in the episode.
The Mucubal do not stab animals, as they consider it cruel. Instead, they suffocate them, believing it to be a more respectful method of slaughter. Bound by tribal custom—where animals serve as food, currency, and sacred offerings—Parry reluctantly followed their tradition, choosing to suffocate the goat to prevent its blood from being wasted, as the tribe considers it highly nutritious.
In the graphic footage, Parry, with the assistance of Mucubal members, held down the screaming goat and covered its mouth and nose, watching as the animal violently convulsed before falling still.
“This is the most gruesome thing I have ever done,” he admitted on camera. After the act, he reflected on the disturbing nature of the experience: “It’s a very odd feeling, feeling the life force of an animal disappear in your own hands—not a feeling I’d necessarily want to have again.”
The sequence sparked outrage among viewers, many of whom expressed their shock and discomfort at witnessing the act. Animal rights organisation Peta UK issued a strong condemnation, with its President of Programmes, Elisa Allen, denouncing both Parry and the BBC.
“Bruce Parry would be in jail and facing criminal charges if his abominably cruel goat suffocation had occurred on British soil,” Allen stated.
She further criticised the BBC for airing the footage, claiming the act was premeditated and undertaken for “selfish ratings ‘shock value’”.
“A gentle being spent her final moments in abject terror,” Allen remarked. Dismissing Parry’s justification of cultural immersion, she accused him of attempting to “wash his hands of an act of wanton cruelty”.
Peta also suggested that Parry should make “a sizeable donation to a goat sanctuary” as a form of reparation.
In response to the criticism, the BBC defended the inclusion of the footage, arguing that it was essential to accurately depict Mucubal customs.
A BBC spokesperson stated: “As the programme explains, the Mucubal believe that stabbing an animal is cruel and suffocation is a more respectful death.”
The broadcaster emphasised that the goat was eaten after its slaughter and that omitting the footage would have resulted in an inauthentic portrayal of Mucubal life.
“The goat was eaten after its slaughter and to avoid including it in the programme would create an inauthentic portrayal of Mucubal life,” the spokesperson added.
Despite the controversy, Parry stood by his decision to take part in the ritual, acknowledging the ethical complexities of the situation. Speaking to Radio Times, he reflected: “It was difficult, suffocating a goat. But I could be the most ethically minded person at home in the UK, but still, by simply getting on a bus, I will have a much larger impact on the planet than any one of these people. Who am I to judge them?”
Meanwhile, Parry's 2009 series "Amazon with Bruce Parry" won a Bafta for Best Factual Series.
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