Sarah Palin criticized for beating fish to death on show

after being criticized for her North Korea slip, Sarah Palin is now coming under fire for her alleged cruelty to animals. An animal rights group criticized Palin for beating a fish to death in her show.

Palin and her daughter Bristol had been caught clubbing a halibut in Sarah Palin's Alaska.  A halibut is the largest flat fish, averaging 11-13.5 kilograms, but a 333 kilogram one has also been reported. It is prized both as a game and food in Alaska, where sport fishing is a key element in the state's tourism economy.

In Defense of Animals, an animal rights organization, has called the video showing Palin beating a halibut to death a "snuff film." In the video, Palin explains to viewers that "stunning the halibut may seem a bit harsh to some, but it's the safest and most humane way to harvest these massive fish."

In their Web site, In Defense of Animals  states its mission as "end animal exploitation, cruelty, and abuse by protecting and advocating for the rights, welfare, and habitats of animals, as well as to raise their status beyond mere property, commodities, or things."

It is not the first time that Sarah Palin has been criticized for her new show. In the pilot episode, the former Republican vice-presidential candidate has been accused of possibly violating local guidelines for fishing too close to brown bears. (See full report here)

Sarah Palin's Alaska is "a new documentary series that takes viewers into the United States's 'final frontier' through the eyes of one of its most famous citizens, Sarah Palin."

It is an eight-episode series that is part travel show and part inside look at the family life of the controversial Tea Party favorite. The pilot episode show was watched by 4.96 million people, most of them over 35 years-old, but the rating has since dropped to 3 million.