PETA wants Department of Justice to Intervene on 'The Tonight Show' For Animal Rights

The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon brings out animal trainers from time to time, and they bring some cute wild animals with beautiful names out on the set and let the host Jimmy and whoever guest is on the show, in the particular night are allowed to pet or touch the animals. Well, PETA isn’t exactly for the whole touching wild-animals thing.

Watch: Robert Irwin brings out animals on The Tonight Show

People for Ethical Treatment of Animals called on the Department of Justice on Tuesday to investigate ‘The Tonight Show’ for allowing celebrities such as Kate Beckinsale and Jacob Anderson to touch animals and play with them on television improperly.

Grant Kemmerer of Wild World of Animals provided the show starring Jimmy Fallon with animals and PETA is angry the animal handler asked Kate Beckinsale to poke an African bullfrog and shoved Kemmerer, Jimmy and Jacob into a phone booth with a python snake. The Grey Worm actor form Game of Thrones forcibly pushed into the booth on a separate episode with the python.

The letter sent by PETA to the Justice Department also names Robert Irwin, who also handles animals provided by Grant.

According to the letter sent to the New York City Health Department the animal handler, Kemmerer wasn’t permitted to allow anyone else other than himself and his staff touches the animals, but Kemmerer rebuttal was his involvement with the show means there is an exception.

“Fallon or Robert Irwin are not the public,” Kemmerer told Page Six. “It was deemed even people in the audience are not looked at as the public—in the eyes of the USDA—because they’re paying for an entertainment show and expect this type of show. … You’re not going to pull out a random animal and hope it goes OK.”

The animal handler continued, “We are alleviating any potential risk, and for Jimmy Fallon, he’s not going into this unknowing. He is a participating person in this. They’re having Robert on there to bring the animals.”

On the letter sent to The Health Department, the Senior Vice President of PETA Lisa Lange said;

Animals suffer every time they’re exposed to the chaos of a television set and passed around like prop. PETA is calling on authorities to throw the book at this hack for brazenly violating—on camera—the clear conditions of his exhibitor permits.

After the submission of the letter, The Department of Health said they are currently looking into the complaint and the allegation pertaining to the matter.

Watch: Grant Kemmerer is accused of using wild animals without license

PETA also called for the ban of Kemmerer who was handed a fine of over $7,000 for a similar violation last year. The organization is also calling on The Tonight Show to cut ties with the animal provider and stop the use of all animals on the show.

After the accusation, a source in the production of the show said, “The safety of animals is important to everyone at the show, and we take all necessary precautions to ensure their safety.”

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No representative from the show was available to answer the question with relation to the accusations made by PETA.