On December 15, 2020, just the day before my conversation with Sergio Torres, Animal Rights General Director in the Spanish Government, Masterchef Junior (yes, the Junior version!) on national Spanish TV, was a real nightmare and showed the sad reality of the lack of animal sensibility that exists in this country. It was in terribly bad taste: starting with recording the program at the Madrid Zoo, amid absurd comments from “The need and great role that this Zoo plays in the conservation of many animals in danger of extinction”, listening to the comments is like feeling a direct attack on animal rights. It is a tremendous disappointment to see still that even adults, young people and children do not respect animals, and that old-fashioned companies such as Zoos or Aquariums, only seek to clean up their image and maintain their horrible business. During the episode there was a dolphin show. It was sad, tremendous, typical and made no sense, as they made the dolphins chase a colored ribbon that corresponded to the kids’ teams. A truck from El Corte Inglés brought the ingredients that included MEAT to the Zoo, where they cooked meat directly in front of the sad and lost gaze of the animals. Can you imagine anything in such bad taste! What a lack of sensitivity AND RESPECT!

To the people behind MasterChef! We are in the 21st century, not the 16th! You should find more creative resources and create other locations to your your programs. Encourage visiting a Zoo is to motivate the terrifying trade around animals: hunt and catch - scary trade - stupid Zoos, Aquariums, Dolphinariums…. This is a demonic triangle that we must stop.

There is no excuse: science is not an excuse, and neither are conservation nor education. Miseducation is what you are creating. The study of animals should be in their natural habitat, but we are studying the animals as if we were studying humans, but only the imprisoned ones! And conservation? What an outrage! Yes, we want to preserve them, let’s preserve their habitats, let’s not promote trade, hunting and stupid shows. Let us encourage children to understand that they can know so much about animals in freedom as they should be, without having to go and see them in cages or tanks. My brother, who is 6 years old, knows a lot about dinosaurs and he’s never seen one nor will he.

And we all know the relationship between @Ecoalf and @MasterChef_es, is Ecoalf the super conscious brand that tells us that there is no planet B? I no longer plan to wear my Ecoalf garments, it has disappointed me deeply. And of course, I will never watch MasterChef. Please! Help me stop these atrocities. A little more respect, a little more sensibility and a little more taste!