Grylls, 44, was accused by officials in Bulgaria, where the show was filmed, of violating local laws protecting flora and fauna.

“It is evident from the film material that during the shooting there were breaches to the regulations and rules of conduct in protected areas: entering and swimming in the water basin of the Karakasheva lake, lighting a fire, and catching and killing an animal,” the country’s environment ministry said.

More than two-thirds of the 172 vertebrate in the park in the Rila mountain range is on the Bulgarian ‘red list’ of endangered creatures.

Grylls has found himself in hot water before for killing wild animals on camera. In 2015 on an episode of The Island he challenged four contestants to cut the throat of a sleeping pig.

Sir David Attenborough said of the former SAS soldier’s style, “We’ve never killed an animal.”

He added: “Bear Grylls will have to answer for himself. But I wouldn’t willingly kill an animal just to get a shot.”