"Hobbit" farm had animal "death traps" that killed as many as 27: Handlers
Image shows top of Embassy Theater, where giant statue of character Gandalf from upcoming movie "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" overlooks passersby in Wellington, New Zealand Nov. 19, 2012 / AP
WELLINGTON, New Zealand Animal wranglers involved in the making of "The Hobbit" movie trilogy say the production company is responsible for the deaths of up to 27 animals, largely because they were kept at a farm filled with bluffs, sinkholes and other "death traps."
The American Humane Association, which is overseeing animal welfare on the films, says no animals were harmed during the actual filming. But it also says the wranglers' complaints highlight shortcomings in its oversight system, which monitors film sets but not the facilities where the animals are housed and trained.
A spokesman for trilogy director Peter Jackson on Monday acknowledged that horses, goats, chickens and one sheep died at the farm near Wellington where about 150 animals were housed for the movies, but he said some of the deaths were from natural causes.
The spokesman, Matt Dravitzki, agreed that the deaths of two horses were avoidable, and said the production company moved quickly to improve conditions after they died.
"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," the first movie in the planned $500 million trilogy, is scheduled to launch with a red-carpet premiere Nov. 28 in Wellington and will open at theaters in the U.S. and around the world in December. The animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals says it's planning protests at the premieres in New Zealand, the U.S. and the U.K.
The Associated Press spoke to four wranglers who said the farm near Wellington was unsuitable for horses because it was peppered with bluffs, sinkholes and broken-down fencing. They said they repeatedly raised concerns about the farm with their superiors and the production company, owned by Warner Bros., but it continued to be used. They say they want their story aired publicly now to prevent similar deaths in the future.
One wrangler said that, over time, he buried three horses, as well as about six goats, six sheep and a dozen chickens. The wranglers say two more horses suffered severe injuries but survived.
Wrangler Chris Langridge said he was hired as a horse trainer in November 2010, overseeing 50 or so horses, but immediately became concerned that the farm was full of "death traps." He said he tried to fill in some of the sinkholes, made by underground streams, and even brought in his own fences to keep the horses away from the most dangerous areas. Ultimately, he said, it was an impossible task.
He said horses run at speeds of up to 30 mph and need to be housed on flat land: "It's just a no-brainer."
The first horse to die, he said, was a miniature named Rainbow.
"When I arrived at work in the morning, the pony was still alive but his back was broken. He'd come off a bank at speed and crash-landed," Langridge said. "He was in a bad state."
Rainbow, who had been slated for use as a hobbit horse, was euthanized. A week later, a horse named Doofus got caught in some fencing and sliced open its leg. That horse survived, but Langridge said he'd had enough.
He and his wife, Lynn, who was also working as a wrangler, said they quit in February 2011. The following month, they wrote an email to Brigitte Yorke, the Hobbit trilogy's unit production manager, outlining their concerns.
Chris Langridge said he responded to Yorke's request for more information but never received a reply after that.
Wrangler Johnny Smythe said that, soon after Langridge left, a horse named Claire was found dead, its head submerged in a stream after it fell over a bluff. After that, he said, the horses were put in stables, where a third horse died.
Smythe said no autopsy was performed on the horse, which was named Zeppelin. Veterinary records say the horse died of natural causes, from a burst blood vessel, but Smythe said the horse was bloated and its intestines were full of a yellow liquid; he believes it died of digestive problems caused by new feed.
Smythe said the six goats and six sheep he buried died after falling into sinkholes, contracting worms or getting new feed after the grass was eaten. He said the chickens were often left out of their enclosure and that a dozen were mauled to death by dogs on two separate occasions.
Smythe said he was fired in October 2011 after arguing with his boss about the treatment of the animals.
A fourth wrangler, who didn't want to be named because she feared it could jeopardize her future employment in the industry, said another horse, Molly, got caught in a fence and ripped her leg open, suffering permanent injuries.
Dravitzki, the spokesman for Peter Jackson, said the production company reacted swiftly after the first two horses died, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars upgrading housing and stable facilities in early 2011.
"We do know those deaths were avoidable and we took steps to make sure it didn't happen again," he said.
Dravitzki said Zeppelin died of a burst blood vessel and that he knew only of three goats, one sheep and about eight chickens that had died aside from that. He said two of the goats died in a cold snap but the third, like the sheep, was old and had likely died of natural causes. He said the chicken maulings were the result of careless staff oversight.
The American Humane Association said in its report on "An Unexpected Journey" that it investigated the farm at the production company's request. Dravitzki said the company contacted the AHA after Smythe alleged mistreatment of animals.
Mark Stubis, an association spokesman, said it investigated the farm in August 2011, months after the first deaths.
"We made safety recommendations to the animals' living areas. The production company followed our recommendations and upgraded fence and farm housing, among other things," the group said.
Dravitzki said the company had already made many of the recommended changes by the time the AHA made them.
Stubis said the association acknowledges that what happens off-set remains a blind spot in its oversight.
"We would love to be able to monitor the training of animals and the housing of animals," Stubis said. "It's something we are looking into. We want to make sure the animals are treated well all the time."
Dravitzki questioned the timing of the allegations with the premiere so close, but said the producers are investigating all the claims "and are attempting to speak with all parties involved to establish the truth."
He said the company no longer leases the farm and has no animals left on the property. He said he didn't know if animals will be needed for future filming in the trilogy, but added that Jackson himself adopted three of the pigs used.
Hollywood has made animal welfare a stated priority for years.
In March, HBO canceled the horseracing series "Luck" after three thoroughbred horses died during production. The network said it canceled the show because it could not guarantee against future accidents.
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this about rights of another living being who wants/like to live just like us. i am surprised that this movie was allow to even shoot . suppose if we going to make a movie about war or children abuse involve where people /children dies . would you allow people/children to get injured/ die same way the horses died ?
why animals is it because they can't speak or fight for their rights ? i don't know why , in the begin for what reason you make movies like this , when you know that their is injury/ death going to occur ?
i don't get it ? i thought we are living in a civilized world and humans are the most advance being. we have a choice to choose, to do the right thing , and its NOT hurt/abuse/harming anyone or any living being . period.
but i see we are still living in a cave era. sorry i wouldn't and i am sure many would not go and see this movie . VIOLENCE AND DEATH IS NOT WHAT PEOPLE WANT TO SEE REGARDLESS WHAT THE STORY IS ..there is many people in the world got heart and will always choose compassion over cruelty.
WORSE IS WE ARE THE MOST POWERFUL/GREATEST NATION IN THE WORLD AND YET WE LIVE IN A CAVE ERA ..IT SO PATHETIC THAT STILL HORSE SLAUGHTER IS LEGAL IN AMERICA and PEOPLE STILL EAT HORSES.... WHAT A SHAME !
and movie producers shrugging off animals dying on their set. along with. oh yes lets not forget soldiers throwing innocent puppies off of cliffs!!! and cops murdering family pets, and lets not forget the latest fad rounding up pit bulls to be murdered just because of what they look like. this world had become pure evil, no morals, no ethics, no compassion, there is nothing left but a bunch of soulless monsters. welcome to the age of enlightenment called the 21st century!!! NOT!!!!!!
this about rights of another living being who wants/like to live just like us. i am surprised that this movie was allow to even shoot . suppose if we going to make a movie about war or children abuse involve where people /children dies . would you allow people/children to get injured/ die same way the horses died ?
why animals is it because they can't speak or fight for their rights ? i don't know why , in the begin for what reason you make movies like this , when you know that their is injury/ death going to occur ?
i don't get it ? i thought we are living in a civilized world and humans are the most advance being. we have a choice to choose, to do the right thing , and its NOT hurt/abuse/harming anyone or any living being . period.
but i see we are still living in a cave era. sorry i wouldn't and i am sure many would not go and see this movie . VIOLENCE AND DEATH IS NOT WHAT PEOPLE WANT TO SEE REGARDLESS WHAT THE STORY IS ..there is many people in the world got heart and will always choose compassion over cruelty.
WORSE IS WE ARE THE MOST POWERFUL/GREATEST NATION IN THE WORLD AND YET WE LIVE IN A CAVE ERA ..IT SO PATHETIC THAT STILL HORSE SLAUGHTER IS LEGAL IN AMERICA and PEOPLE STILL EAT HORSES.... WHAT A SHAME !
He was responsible for leasing that farm which was a hilly sheep farm unsuitable for horses. Several other suitable properties were put forward by the horse trainer that would have cost the same amount.
He was also responsible for hiring staff that were not qualified to look after horses and vetoed every attempt of the horse trainer to hire suitable staff. He also prevented the horse trainer from making sensible training decisions. He insisted on letting his girlfriend train horses even though she was not qualified to even be riding them and caused many problems with their training when she did ride them. He also insisted on other unqualified people being allowed to ride horses.
Steve Old also did not put any safe and appropriate training facilities in place. This was because he wanted to ensure he got the job by coming in under the budget outlined by another more qualified Animal Coordinator. He prevented the horse trainer from putting any facilities in place other than those that the horse trainer paid for out of his own pocket.
Steve Old turned a blind eye to wilful abuse of animals - one case in which his own father was the abuser of a pig. This same person - Les Old - also sexually harassed a female staff member. When she told Steve that Les had groped her Steve fired her.
Steve used production money and resources on his own private projects such as The Great NZ Trek. He pulled staff members away from caring for the animals on the film and sent them to do work on projects elsewhere during which time they were paid with film money.
He bullied staff members into keeping quiet about any negative aspects of their work and told them they would be fired if they didn't fall into line.
The head horse trainer, another horse trainer and other wranglers resigned from the film after two months because their complaints about animal welfare were ignored and were not passed on to people higher up in the chain of command. Emails were sent after they resigned (in Feb2011) detailing everything that was dangerous and needed to be rectified. I understand that these emails have only recently been passed on to Peter Jackson.
simpler to just properly repair the fences. But stupid is that stupid does.
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2012/11/20/65507-a-statement-from-peter-jackson-and-the-producers-of-the-hobbit-about-animal-mistreatment-allegations/
Nonetheless, there are larger battles in the cruelty to animal campaign to be fought, in my honest opinion.
Boycott is the right way to show our position referring this cruelty. I read many ridiculous comments but "PODBOQ" is definately the worse I've seen. And it's even worse seeing his/her cold blood while talking about starvation as if it's just like watching the rain outside. You are disgusting and a product of our cubed society.
PETA isn't mentioned in the story, BTW.