ARK TRUST ADVOCATES UNLEASH `FOE-PAW' LIST.

Byline: Jonathan Davies Hollywood Reporter

Animal advocacy group the Ark Trust has blasted a half-dozen network television shows that it says used the misfortune of animals to get laughs during the past year.

Among the shows cited Monday in the Ark Trust's second annual ``Foe-Paw'' list were CBS' ``Cosby'' and ``The World's Most Dangerous Animals,'' parts 1 and 2; ABC's ``Spin City'' and ``Townies''; NBC's ``Boston Common''; and Fox's ``When Animals Attack.'' The group also chastised Vogue and New York magazines for glamorizing fur and hunting, and McDonald's and Denny's restaurants for commercials keyed into the success of the feature ``Babe'' to sell hamburgers and bacon-and-egg breakfasts.

``In our role as a media `watchdog,' we must be ever-vigilant and speak out about negative as well as positive messages,'' said Gretchen Wyler, president of the Ark Trust, which annually presents the Genesis Awards for animal-friendly images in the media. ``Either from ignorance or insensitivity, throughout 1996 numerous television shows, commercials and magazines communicated messages that, over time, desensitize the public toward animal suffering.''

``Cosby,'' ``Spin City,'' ``Boston Common'' and ``Townies'' all came under fire from the Ark Trust for trivializing or ridiculing the death of animals ranging from a turtle on ``Cosby'' and a Thanksgiving turkey on ``Boston Common'' to dogs on ``Spin City'' and ``Townies.'' The Ark Trust condemned ``The World's Most Dangerous Animals'' and ``When Animals Attack'' for engendering fear of animals.

Wyler stressed that the Foe-Paw report is not intended to blacklist entire series or magazines but to highlight what it sees as specific instances of poor judgment in the media.

``We're asking those responsible for creating these callous works to consider that power more responsibly,'' Wyler said.