2Nd Update, 8:51 Am: PETA has responded to HBO’s statement Monday about the use of what the animal-rights group says are abused elephants in the drama series Westworld. Rachel Mathews, PETA Foundation’s Associate Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement, said in a statement:
HBO and its producers cannot honestly claim any high ground or provide any assurances in this case, as they’ve been sitting on this footage showing elephants screaming in pain as trainers hit, jab, and electroshock them since June 2016, when PETA first wrote to them about the use of an elephant from Have Trunk Will Travel for an episode of Silicon Valley. As anyone who follows these issues knows, American Humane—which supports the use of bullhooks, now banned in California and elsewhere and the same weapon used on Tai and other elephants in the disturbing eyewitness footage—does not monitor off-set living conditions or preproduction training methods.
HBO and its producers cannot honestly claim any high ground or provide any assurances in this case, as they’ve been sitting on this footage showing elephants screaming in pain as trainers hit, jab, and electroshock them since June 2016, when PETA first wrote to them about the use of an elephant from Have Trunk Will Travel for an episode of Silicon Valley. As anyone who follows these issues knows, American Humane—which supports the use of bullhooks, now banned in California and elsewhere and the same weapon used on Tai and other elephants in the disturbing eyewitness footage—does not monitor off-set living conditions or preproduction training methods.
- 5/8/2018
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
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