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How Being an Animal Advocate May Have Kept Bob Barker Off 'Price is Right' Anniversary Show
Bob Barker asked eager audience members to "come on down" to contestant row on TV's "The Price is Right" for 35 years, but the 88-year-old host was not invited to participate in the show's 40th anniversary episode.
Though the network won't say why ("CBS declined comment," notes Yahoo! TV, adding: "a source with the show says Barker will be seen via vintage clips,") it seems TPIR has had a record of not being too fond of Barker's vocal objections to the show's sensitivity to animal rights, an issue near and dear to Barker's heart.
In the past, Barker has criticized the show for giving away trips to the Calgary Stampede, or to SeaWorld in Florida, both venues where animals have been mistreated.
Barker told TV Guide he doesn't know for sure if that's why he was dissed, adding: "But I do know I am ashamed of the show and surprised at their complete disregard for the welfare of animals."
Among Barker's post-retirement credits in animal advocacy include his work to bring attention to how pigs are treated before becoming pork sold at Walmart, moving elephants from the Toronto Zoo to a NorCal sanctuary, and speaking out against the L.A. Zoo's own elephants.
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