Broadcaster One31 has drawn the ire of animal lovers following the airing of a scene on its blockbuster drama series แม่หยัว (The Empress of Ayodhaya).
The channel has issued a statement of apology for “causing discomfort to our viewers” with the scene.
The scene in question came from episode 5 of the series, which involves a black cat getting posioned. The aired footage shows a live black cat, convulsing and vomitting before it stopped moving completely.
That scene shocked viewers and animal lovers alike, who thought the cat had died.
Adding fuel to the unfolding fire were comments – allegedly from production crew – that the cat was not dead, but was in fact, put under anaesthesia to cause it to appear to have a seizure.
This further angered viewers, who questioned if any expert advice had been sought – or if the cat was put through any other discomfort – before filming began.
In a statement issued 10 November, some three days after the episode aired, One31 apologised for the incident, adding: “We take into account the welfare and safety of animals as our top priority. The cats used in filming come from a pet modelling agency that specialises in using pets during filming for over 10 years.”
The show’s director Sant Srikaewlaw added separately that while filming was done under anaesthesia, its owner and “experts” had been “taking good care of it at every step”.
He added that the production crew had asked for clips of the cat’s health to be sent to ensure the cat was not affected by what happened during filming, and that this took place frequently.
Their comments did not quell the anger from fans, many of whom called for a boycott of the series. For hours after the One31 statement, the hashtags #แบนช่องone31 (‘Ban One31’) and #แบนแม่หยัว (‘Ban แม่หยัว ‘) trended on X.
The Thai government has also stepped in amid the furore, calling on show producers to hand over filming footage of the said scene to the country’s livestock department for further investigations.
