# What if an animal IS harmed during the making of this film? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 24, 2006, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-animal-is-harmed-during-the-making-of-this-film/365869 "2006-07-24T19:42:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![happywaffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ee59a6/32.png) [@happywaffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/happywaffle)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-animal-is-harmed-during-the-making-of-this-film/365869/1 "2006-07-24T19:42:25Z")
Assuming there’s no gross negligence - say, a horse just happens to die filming a battle scene - do the movies still get to put that NAACP warning at the end of the credits? Is there a penalty for animal-killing? ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-animal-is-harmed-during-the-making-of-this-film/365869/2 "2006-07-24T19:45:20Z")
As I understand, there is a person from the Human Society present during the filming of all scenes using animals to ensure there is no abuse. If the animal just keeled over from a heart attack or was killed in an accident, there wouldn’t be any repercussions, assuming it had been cared for and the accident was unforseeable. And, by the way, it’s not the NAACP. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-animal-is-harmed-during-the-making-of-this-film/365869/3 "2006-07-24T19:46:18Z")
It’s either the Humane Society or the ASPCA. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-animal-is-harmed-during-the-making-of-this-film/365869/4 "2006-07-24T19:51:17Z")
> [@Lissa](#): > > As I understand, there is a person from the Human Society present … > And, by the way, it’s not the NAACP. I think you mean _Humane_ Society. I was going to reply that I think it’s the ASPCA but you are correct. [http://www.americanhumane.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pa\_film](http://www.americanhumane.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pa_film) ---
**Author:** ![xiix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/d6d6ee/32.png) [@xiix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xiix)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-animal-is-harmed-during-the-making-of-this-film/365869/5 "2006-07-24T20:07:11Z")
\*\*\* No Persons of Color were Harmed during the Making of This Film \* \*\* _From Wikipedia_ The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), is one of the oldest and most influential civil rights organizations in the United States. It was founded February 12, 1909 to work on behalf of African Americans. Members of the organization have referred to it as The National Association, referencing the NAACP’s preeminence among organizations active in the struggle for civil rights and equality since its origins in the first decade of the 20th century. Due to this fact, its members feel little need is to specify which “national association.” Its name, retained in accord with tradition, is one of the last surviving uses of the term “colored people”, now generally viewed as dated and derogatory. In the historical context of the NAACP, however, the term is not considered offensive. ---
**Author:** ![happywaffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ee59a6/32.png) [@happywaffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/happywaffle)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-animal-is-harmed-during-the-making-of-this-film/365869/6 "2006-07-24T20:18:01Z")
> [@xiix](#): > > \*\*\* No Persons of Color were Harmed during the Making of This Film \* \*\* > _From Wikipedia_ > The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), is one of the oldest and most influential civil rights organizations in the United States. It was founded February 12, 1909 to work on behalf of African Americans. Members of the organization have referred to it as The National Association, referencing the NAACP’s preeminence among organizations active in the struggle for civil rights and equality since its origins in the first decade of the 20th century. Due to this fact, its members feel little need is to specify which “national association.” Its name, retained in accord with tradition, is one of the last surviving uses of the term “colored people”, now generally viewed as dated and derogatory. In the historical context of the NAACP, however, the term is not considered offensive. Ha! Let’s just call that my faux pas for the day. Over lunch I was watching the Colbert Report from last week about Pres. bush attending the NAACP convention. Serves me right for posting while sleepy. ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-animal-is-harmed-during-the-making-of-this-film/365869/7 "2006-07-24T21:02:02Z")
If you wait until this fall, you can see if the movie [Flicka](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0434215/) gets to use this disclaimer: two horses died in accidents during filming, albeit through accidents. [This article](http://twmag.com/westerns/western-animals_harmed_03_06.htm) said that as of March of this year, no decision had been made. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-animal-is-harmed-during-the-making-of-this-film/365869/8 "2006-07-24T21:47:33Z")
> [@happywaffle](#): > > Assuming there’s no gross negligence - say, a horse just happens to die filming a battle scene - do the movies still get to put that NAACP warning at the end of the credits? Is there a penalty for animal-killing? The Abyss was censured by the AHA for the “rat in brething underwater” scene. I don’t think there were any serious repercussions (in the US at least). > [@](#): > > Not every film gets the disclaimer, and those deemed unacceptable by the AHA can run into problems with distribution. In 1989, the AHA censured James Cameron’s The Abyss for a scene in which one character holds a rat underwater until it begins to struggle. (Their Web site does concede that the rat survived, and that Cameron later took it as his pet.) The scene with the rat was cut from the film before it was distributed in the U.K., in accordance with the Brits’ Cinematograph Films (Animals) Act of 1937, which restricts the exhibition of films for which animals were harmed or goaded to fury. > **[Who's looking out for animal movie stars?](https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2005/04/who-s-looking-out-for-animal-movie-stars.html)** > > A horse broke its neck and died on the set of a Hollywood movie on Monday. Two weeks ago, another horse that was injured on the set was put to sleep.... ---
**Author:** ![solkoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@solkoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solkoe)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-animal-is-harmed-during-the-making-of-this-film/365869/9 "2006-07-25T13:52:52Z")
In the opening scene of Natural Born Killers, a scorpion is run over by a car. To what extent are animals protected? Do we draw the line at vertebrate/invertebrate? ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-animal-is-harmed-during-the-making-of-this-film/365869/10 "2006-07-25T14:46:12Z")
> [@solkoe](#): > > In the opening scene of Natural Born Killers, a scorpion is run over by a car. To what extent are animals protected? Do we draw the line at vertebrate/invertebrate? Are you sure it’s a real insect? ---
**Author:** ![pizzabrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9c0ed/32.png) [@pizzabrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pizzabrat)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-animal-is-harmed-during-the-making-of-this-film/365869/11 "2006-07-25T14:54:46Z")
> [@Lissa](#): > > Are you sure it’s a real **insect**? You’re really asking for it. ---
**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-animal-is-harmed-during-the-making-of-this-film/365869/12 "2006-07-25T15:44:08Z")
re: **griffin1977** ’s link: “goaded to fury” has got to be one of the better phrases I’ve seen this week. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-animal-is-harmed-during-the-making-of-this-film/365869/13 "2006-07-25T16:44:34Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > I think you mean _Humane_ Society. I was going to reply that I think it’s the ASPCA but you are correct. > > [http://www.americanhumane.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pa\_film](http://www.americanhumane.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pa_film) One more nitpick: [American Humane](http://www.americanhumane.org/site/PageServer?pagename=wh_mission) is a great group, but they have no trademark or other hold on “humane society,” which is a descriptive phrase sort of like “rape crisis center” or “gun club,” not something that gets capitalized by itself like National Rifle Association. Individual humane societies often have membership in organizations like the Humane Society of the United States, but these memberships convey no governing rights on HSUS. American Humane used to be called the American Humane Association; I’m not really clear on why they changed their name. [Here’s American Humane’s review of Natural Born Killers](http://www.ahafilm.info/movies/moviereviews.phtml?fid=7129). They apparently didn’t monitor its production. [Here’s their full guidelines for treating animal actors](http://www.americanhumane.org/site/DocServer/LA_Guidelines_Web2.pdf?docID=1821) (pdf). I’ve not bothered to read it. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-animal-is-harmed-during-the-making-of-this-film/365869/14 "2006-07-25T17:51:03Z")
> [@MikeS](#): > > … two horses died in accidents during filming, albeit through accidents. Right, but both of those deaths were accidental. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-animal-is-harmed-during-the-making-of-this-film/365869/15 "2006-07-25T18:04:43Z")
> [@solkoe](#): > > Do we draw the line at vertebrate/invertebrate? No. Even if they’re using cockroaches in a scene, the activity is monitored and the buggies’ welfare looked out for. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-animal-is-harmed-during-the-making-of-this-film/365869/16 "2006-07-25T19:48:04Z")
> [@Biffy the Elephant Shrew](#): > > No. Even if they’re using cockroaches in a scene, the activity is monitored and the buggies’ welfare looked out for. But it’s OK if the actors eat real steak in a scene? ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-animal-is-harmed-during-the-making-of-this-film/365869/17 "2006-07-25T20:10:42Z")
> [@happywaffle](#): > > Over lunch I was watching the Colbert Report from last week about Pres. bush attending the NAACP convention. Julian Bond, will you be my new black friend? ---
**Author:** ![Scruloose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-animal-is-harmed-during-the-making-of-this-film/365869/18 "2006-07-25T22:18:51Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > [Here’s American Humane’s review of Natural Born Killers](http://www.ahafilm.info/movies/moviereviews.phtml?fid=7129). They apparently didn’t monitor its production. Huh. They don’t have a review for _The Adventures of Milo & Otis_. That’s too bad, 'cuz in that movie, they chucked that cat right off a freaking cliff into the ocean. [sub]Cracks me up every time I see it.[/sub]