TV channel Nat Geo WILD on Friday rallied around popular Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan, who is being investigated for animal cruelty, as thousands signed a petition demanding his television show be cancelled.
The American Humane Society said it also had received complaints about a February episode of the TV series Cesar 911 in which Mr Millan uses a pig to train a French bulldog terrier mix called Simon, who had killed two pigs in the past.
On the show, Simon is seen chasing a pig and nips its ear, causing it to bleed. In a follow-up segment, which was aired later in the episode, Simon is seen co-existing peacefully with a group of pigs, a chicken and other animals.
Nat Geo WILD, a unit of 21st Century Fox, said investigators from Los Angeles County Animal Control had been in touch with Mr Millan after complaints from the public.
The network added in a statement, “Cesar Millan is and will continue to fully cooperate with any investigation. He is confident that the investigation will show there was no wrong doing.”
It said that a clip from the February 26 show that was shared online “caused some concern for viewers who did not see or understand the full context of the encounter.”
“The pig that was nipped … was tended to immediately afterward, healed quickly and showed no lasting signs of distress…. As a result (of Millan’s work) Simon did not have to be separated from his owner or euthanised, ” it said.
Mr Millan, 46, first found fame through his Dog Whisperer TV show in 2004 that has been broadcast worldwide.
© 2015 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions
