Reality TV contestants apologise after they were kicked off show for killing and eating endangered bird

Spencer "Corry" Jones and team-mate Oliver Dev were both taking part in “Race to Survive: New Zealand” when they killed and ate a flightless weka.

In the show, participants race each other over hundreds of kilometres of harsh terrain with only what they can carry. Jones and Dev, who are both US white water river guides, were disqualified from the show after the incident.

In a clip from the show, Jones apologised for his actions on camera, saying he did not make the decision lightly. Explaing, he he was desperate and hungry but he knew what he’d done was wrong.

In the clip, he was seen to have apologised, saying he made a "foolish" mistake and they "didn't prepare for the hunger”. “What I did disrespected New Zealand, and I'm sorry," he said.

The Department of Conservation (DOC) gave a written warning to the bosses behind the programme after the incident. In a statement, they said they had been clear with the production company that protected species could not be harvested or consumed throughout filming, but they had been alerted about the incident shortly after it occurred.

DOC team lead of investigations Dylan Swain said the company was "on notice" about the need for programme participants to follow to conservation rules. He said there was a unique set of circumstances at play, that cast members were fatigued and suffering from significant hunger with an unusual group dynamic. He said this led the department to decide that a warning letter was the best course of action.

The show airs on USA Network which said in an article on on its website the pair were disqualified from the competition. Weka are native birds and protected in New Zealand. They are also endemic to the country.

The weka become extinct over large tracts of mainland New Zealand as a result of changing climatic conditions and rising predator numbers. As they are a protected species under the Wildlife Act 1953, the maximum penalty for hurting the bird could be either two years imprisonment or a fine of NZD $100,000 ($59,545; £47,467).