Horse deaths during filming of The Hobbit

Buds_mum

Buds_mum

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How do people feel about this?

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/peta-to-picket-the-hobbit-premiere-after-whistleblower-reveals-preventable-deaths-and-needless-suffering-of-animals-on-set-8329326.html

Was excited about this film but the preventable deaths if these horses (and other animals) has made my blood boil!!!!

Especially the hobbling incident :mad:

Surely on multi million dollar production proper care and housing/grazing could of been provided for the animals involved.

I'm disgusted!!
 
TwoStroke said:
How disappointing :(. Just not good enough. I won't be paying to watch the Hobbit. Gutted, as I loved LotR.
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Just my feelings.

I feel so angry something like this has been allowed to happen, I mean places like nz have pretty good animal rights records ect. don't they?!
 
I have read the newspaper report and the deaths weren't during filming The Hobbit.
It was where the animals were kept, apparently in poor conditions and poor fencing etc.
Still, no wonder the wranglers spoke up.

Mind, there is a slightly different "attitude" to sheep, at least, in the southern hemisphere, from what Ihave gathered from people who have worked over there on gap years, etc.
 
aww bless them. well it states that he is not allowed to use real animals in anymore of his films, which he was probley planning on in the next two films he has lined up. its just shocking that he is spending 500 million on his film but could insure his animals used where safe and in healthy condition for on set. its all money to people like that and drives me wild that they couldnt offer even shade and water to some of the animals :(
 
Im GUTTED i've been counting down the days till that film for about a year - how awful. puts the whole thing in a completely different light. poor animals!
 
There are always 2 sides, and looks like the wranglers who made the accusations had been sacked....sour grapes anyone?

Imagine how many accidents happen in a year on your yard, with say 20 horses. Then imagine how many would happen in the same period with say, 1000 horses.
There will always be accidents and I don't think it's fair to say they must have been mistreated.

Just saying, there are always 2 sides.

Plus, PETA are known mentalists.....;)
 
Oh I am hoping it has 'petarised'

But it makes you wonder that something must of happened....

Peter Jackson is of course going to defend himself and his franchise just as much as peta are going to blow the whole thing majorly up....

Difficult :(
 
I think that PETA have probably blown things out of proportion as always but its interesting that the 'other side of the story' doesnt directly mention most of the incidents and glosses over incidents with outcomes that arent favourable

The place could have the best facilities known to man and the horses well fed and looked after but it doesnt mean there werent risks and hazards in the turnout arrangements and the fields themselves
 
oh for gods sake, animals die through accidents every single day. more than 900 million animals were slaughtered in the uk last year, and the vast majority will have been treated far worse than these film animals. get a grip!
 
Were the film and production company responsible for the animals or doing as they do with other films hiring them for the day to do specific tasks?? If the animals are in the care and responsibility of a third party company then its not really the fault of the production company beyond who they choose to supply to them.

Awful that there have been these things happen but PETA sadly have a habit of making things sensational so its very difficult to know what is truth and what is embellished to create a headline.
 
patterdale said:
Imagine how many accidents happen in a year on your yard, with say 20 horses. Then imagine how many would happen in the same period with say, 1000 horses.
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Especially considering that some of the alleged deaths were in accidents replicated in posts right across the forum: field accidents, getting caught in the fence, colic, getting cast, dog attacks.

When put into proportion, the accidents are evaluated, and the influence of vendettas are considered, it isn't as shocking or horrifying.

If all the accidents in the article did take place, then yes, something may have gone wrong, but I believe there may be another side too.
 
I'm very very very sad that horses died on the set :( it's really heartbreaking!

However, as many have said - how many horses die in their fields due to preventable accidents? How many die on the track? Where there are live animals, there will be accidents.

If we count up all the accidents on all of our yards, I bet it will be a lot more than on the set. There was one at my yard (WAY before I joined though, so probably 15+ years ago)
 
It is really hard to know who to believe. If you owned over 60 horses for over 2 years it is likely that accidents would occur some of which would be fatal. Hmmm I don't know. I really hope it was just accidental and not negligence.
 
Why pay to see the film? You can probably download it for free these days can't you? Isn't there like bitmap or YouTube or something? If paying is what you don't want to do but still want to see it...

Better still, READ the book... I found that the the LOTR was much better in my head than in was in mr jacksons...
 
I happen to know the Horse Master on this production, he's a fine horseman and not likely to abuse any horse. The deaths cited were accidents and illnesses that happen all the time to domestic horses, so nothing to get excited about or shout "abuse!" over. Film horses are working animals and are selected and trained for the job; Horse Masters are professional horsemen who are paid to present fit, healthy horses capable of doing the work. No Horse Master tolerates poor husbandry or cruel treatment - perhaps why the wranglers were fired?
 
gemin1eye said:
oh for gods sake, animals die through accidents every single day. more than 900 million animals were slaughtered in the uk last year, and the vast majority will have been treated far worse than these film animals. get a grip!
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I find your tone rude and uncalled for. Get over yourself.

Of course animals die all the time. that is not the point the article is making....

If it did all happen as has been said then it is not acceptable and perhaps the way animals are kept whilst being used for films such as this should be looked at.

I myself found the statement from peter jackson to be rather glossing over the incidents....
 
Cortez said:
I happen to know the Horse Master on this production, he's a fine horseman and not likely to abuse any horse. The deaths cited were accidents and illnesses that happen all the time to domestic horses, so nothing to get excited about or shout "abuse!" over. Film horses are working animals and are selected and trained for the job; Horse Masters are professional horsemen who are paid to present fit, healthy horses capable of doing the work. No Horse Master tolerates poor husbandry or cruel treatment - perhaps why the wranglers were fired?
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I dont think I would listen to a PETA "whistleblower".
 
there's a good thread on COTH about this, including a post from someone who worked on the film. it was a shame about the deaths but not alot different from what happens on farms everywhere (I had a sink hole open up in my paddock in the Lothians, luckily none of mine fell in it...)
 
i have read the article and i know what point its making. my point is, why get so wound up over this when there are so many animals dying every single day in so many worse ways. i just dont think.its an issue. normally i would say (to myself!) that one cruelty doesnt excuse another but this isnt even cruelty it was accidents or negligence IF the article and its sources are to be believed.
 
Some animals can be CGIed really well these days. Almost all of the birds in Snow White & The Huntsman were and they were extremely convincing, imo. The rabbits and the hart were GCI too, but less authentic. The technical wizzes haven't managed to replace horses yet, though I am sure it's only a matter of time.
 
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