Outrage after footage shows elephants being beaten on sets of 'Westworld'
Shocking footage obtained by Independent showed elephants being beaten and shocked with stun guns in order to perform stunts which are often used on shows including US sci-fi drama Westworld.
In the footage, the animals can be seen in pain as they are beaten with sticks and made to perform stunts.
The footage was captured by Animal Defenders International (ADI) as part of their eight- week undercover investigation.
It was revealed that the elephants were being beaten up in order to perform for some of the upcoming movies and shows. These included Water for Elephants and Zookeeper as well as Britney Spears’ circus music video. After seeing what happens to the animals that are used in the production of these movies and shows, ADI has called HBO, who are behind the production of Westworld, to stop using animals.
The organization branded the treatment as brutal and as asked for all the TV shows and movies to stop using animals in the scenes. ADI President Jan Creamer was clear on putting an end to this brutality. “With no way to guarantee the welfare of the animals offset, we urge HBO and other studios to end their use of live animals," she said.
“There is no excuse for using the real thing when technology provides a realistic, humane alternative.”
There are several other methods by which the animals are being harmed in order to use them in TV shows. Some of the methods include animals being beaten with bullhooks and being hit over the head and dragged by the trunk.
Other elephants who were also filmed by the organization showed them being tied up for the most part of the day. Due to this, it became hard for them to walk or even take a step forward. For nearly 12 hours a day, the elephants are reportedly in pain as they try to regain the strength in their legs to walk. After the footage was taken, the same was set to HBO in order to stop animal cruelty.
Since then, HBO has come out with a statement saying they will do a background check and take necessary actions.
“We are reviewing the circumstances related to archival training footage, which included one of the elephants that appeared in the series," the statement read.