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March 23, 2000

Humane Group Curbs Animal Abuse by Movie Industry

LOS ANGELES (ANS) -- After seeing a prison guard kill a mouse in the recent movie "The Green Mile," an outraged animal lover called the district attorney's office in Los Angeles and demanded that cruelty charges be brought against the production company.

The prosecutor's office followed up the complaint with a call to the American Humane Association, which was able to issue an assurance that it had reviewed the script in preproduction and could confirm that no mouse had been killed -- when it came time to dispatch the rodent, a prop had been substituted.

The association has maintained oversight to ensure the humane treatment of animal actors since a horse was forced to jump off a cliff to its death in the 1940 movie "Jesse James." Under a contract signed with the Screen Actors Guild in 1980, every SAG film or television script that calls for an animal, whether it be insect, reptile or mammal, must get a thumbs up from AHA or risk forfeiting the group's disclaimer in the credits.

Last year, more than 850 film projects in the United States, Canada and Mexico were checked for animal safety, including proposed animal stunts, special effects, camera angles, lighting, makeup and costumes. Because of the group's small size -- 24 field staffers handle the load -- it targets productions based on perceived risk. Eddy, the wily Jack Russell terrier on the television show "Frasier," for example, is considered at no risk of poor treatment. Horses and wildlife often are.

Much of the group's work takes place in preproduction to avoid time delays and cost overruns once the cameras are rolling. But if especially dangerous stunts are to take place, a staff member of the group often is present during shooting. The goal, advocates say, is for animal stars to receive the same treatment as their human peers.

That hasn't always been the case. The years between 1966 and 1980 were a particularly bleak period for animal actors, said Gini Barrett, director of the organization's film and television unit in Los Angeles. "Film equipment became more portable, action adventure films were a new genre and there were quite a few problems."

Horses, in particular, were jeopardized. Frail to begin with, the horses were often made to race across prairies, jump into rivers and perform other risky stunts. The appalling treatment of animals during the filming of "Heaven's Gate" in 1979 was the last straw, Barrett said.

"They had a real cock fight, slaughtered a couple of steers, wire-tripped some horses and blew one up," she said. "We raised holy heck and put language in the guild contract" that finally forbade killing animals and required that animal actors be trained and receive human treatment.

These days, most American directors understand the public's distaste for any animal cruelty and aren't interested in risking AHA's wrath, which comes in the form of negative ratings and reviews posted on the Internet. In fact, the industry has proved to be a boon for animals as their images and life stories reach an audience far larger than the humane association could ever hope to tap, Barrett said.

Computer technology and the demand for family-friendly fare have also increased the numbers of animals used in movies and television shows. The creators of "Stuart Little," an adaptation of E.B. White's classic children's story, spent several years studying mice to accurately portray the main character, a mouse who is adopted by a human family.

But the film industry is also globalizing, and more and more production houses are not contractually obligated to the SAG animal guidelines. So the association is making a concentrated effort to forge partnerships with its Canadian and European counterparts to monitor productions abroad.

Calgary, Alberta, has become a popular destination for directors of westerns. Many are Canadian productions that do not have American union affiliations. So AHA trained the Calgary Humane Society in its monitoring techniques and guidelines, and the local group is now trying to educate visiting producers and directors.

"We're kind of feeling our way through this," said society Director Cathy Thomas. Two movies in production involve a cougar, a tarantula, a raven and horses. In one scene, the tarantula is meant to walk onto a highway as a car goes by. The group made sure that a fake tarantula was used, Thomas said.

With accessibility to movie-making equipment on the increase, another worry for animal monitors is the inexperienced director who uses animals without understanding the rules. That won't last long, though, said Karen Rosa of AHA. "Most distributors are coming to us before they purchase a film to see if AHA has signed off, and the public knows to call us," she said.

And call they do. Barrett says the group gets thousands of calls every year from movie patrons upset about the perceived mistreatment of animals. Movie crew members who witness actual animal cruelty are some of the group's best informers. "Every person in this industry is our eyes and ears," she added.

Those eyes and ears aren't fastened on only the big-name, cuddly stars like Eddy the Jack Russell terrier. The association also safeguards the animal stars not likely to draw a sympathetic response from movie audiences.

During the filming of one movie, whose cast included a cockroach, a stand-in and two stunt roaches, the script called for the star pest to slither across a restaurant counter. In a moment of spontaneous genius, the director ordered an actor to depart from the script and squash the bug with his menu.

No go, said the humane officer in attendance, whose obvious ignorance of the power of art prompted the director to storm off the set in disgust. But in the end, cured of his momentary murderous lapse, the director shot the scene according to script and the bug lived.

"It looks like excess," admitted Jim Moore of the AHA. "But where do you draw the line? The ladybug? The fly?"

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Contacts:

Gini Barrett, director; Jim Moore, spokesperson; Karen Rosa, spokesperson, American Humane Association, western regional office, Los Angeles, Calif., 818-501-0123; e-mail: ahawest@aol.com; web site: www.ahafilm.org.

Cathy Thomas, executive director, Calgary Humane Society, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 403-250-7722; e-mail: cathomas@telusplanet.net.