Survivor might be the hottest show on the tube right now, but don't count the folks at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals among the fans.

About a dozen picket-wielding, slogan-shouting PETA types protested outside CBS' New York headquarters to, calling for the network to shut down its monster-rated reality soap opera because it shows cruelty to animals--particulary rats.

Demonstrators chanting "rats have rights!" and "survive on veggies!" even brought along their own pro-vegetarian mascot, Rosie the Rat, an activist dressed in a giant rodent suit, to make their point.

"Our point is simply that publicity-seeking contestants are using their fame to commit animal abuse," says PETA spokeswoman Dawn Carr.

In its series premiere three weeks ago, the Darwinistic game show showed Tagi tribe member Richard, a paunchy 39-year-old corporate trainer and consultant, proudly pulling an island rat out of a trap and killing it for fish bait. Then, on this Wednesday's installment, hungry Pagong castaways trapped, chopped and skinned some of the omnipresent rodents before grilling them over a fire. The resulting dining experience was watched by over 20 million people.

Also on this week's episode, Richard speared three stingrays for food. The group claims that, while the impaled fish flopped around helplessly in Richard's wire basket, contestants were shown smiling and laughing. PETA calls the broadcast of such behavior "archaic and barbaric promotions of animal cruelty."

"We should be teaching kids empathy and compassion towards the pain and suffering of others, not teaching them violence under the guise of entertainment," adds Carr. "There's often a link between kids who grow up abusing animals and later violence."

CBS, meanwhile, seems pretty unfazed by the PETA protests. CBS spokesman Chris Ender says Survivor participants were instructed not to harm indigenous animals, such as monkey, lizards and birds, on the island of Pulau Tiga. However, the network says, since rats came to the island as stowaways on ships, they're fair game. (And, in case you were wondering, the network says because of the island's isolation, the rats were, unlike their American cousins, disease-free.)

"We have tremendous regard for PETA and its cause," Ender tells Associated Press. "However, we truly believe our viewers recognize that hunting and fishing as a means of sustenance has been acceptable since the dawn of time." Translation: expect more rat-munching and ray-harpooning in upcoming shows.

PETA counters by lambasting the network for killing animals for ratings and suggested that contestants could have easily been taught how to survive on a healthy vegetarian diet. Says Carr: "History will show hunting and fishing will end up in the bucket along with all the other human atrocities committed throughout the ages."

If PETA's getting so worked up over the barbecued rat now, we can just imagine how the animal-loving organization will react to the Down Under edition of Survivor next year. Kangaroo crepes and koala-kabobs, anyone?