The United States is considering a ban on the use of wild animals in traveling circuses. The ban already exists in many countries throughout the world. While the circuses of ancient Greece and Rome featured trained animals, circuses originally began with acts by jugglers, acrobats, trapeze artists, tightrope walkers and clowns. In other words, the […]
Entertainment
Because pets are so cute, they play a large part in entertainment. Movies, TV shows, circuses and zoos all use animals to entertain us. Although we love to encounter animals on screen and in person, it is vital that these animals are treated well.
In 1940, after the filming of the movie, “Jesse James,” in which a terrified horse was killed after being forced to run off a cliff, the American Humane Association opened its Western Regional Office in Hollywood, California, to fight animal cruelty in film productions. In 1941, the Association of Motion Picture Producers agreed to give the AHA open access to all movie sets using animals. However, PETA explains that the AHA presence on a movie set is no guarantee to protect against animal abuse. AHA only monitors the actual filming, not training sessions where abuse is most likely to occur.
Animal lovers should educate themselves regarding which industries are prone to mistreatment of animals and boycott them. And before going to an individual show, film or other event, check out whether animal welfare organizations have given it the stamp of approval.
Articles about animals in entertainment:
Horse-Drawn Carriages
The question of whether horse-drawn carriages should be banned has been in the news lately. Glee star Lea Michele has recently starred in a PETA campaign supporting a ban. An announcement has been made that Prince William and his fiancee, Kate Middleton, will travel to their wedding by car instead of by carriage. Although the […]
Man versus Horse Marathon
On June 12, 2010, the annual Man versus Horse Marathon took place in Llanwrtyd Wells, Powys, Wales. Three hundred runners took on 44 horses, and as usual, the winner was a horse. Sly Dai, ridden by Llinos Jones, came in at 2 hours, 7 minutes, and 4 seconds. The fastest human runner finished in 2 […]
Iditarod Dog Sled Race
The Iditarod Dog Sled Race has been called the last great dog sled race. It covers 1,131 miles beginning in Anchorage, Alaska with a ceremonial start and ending in Nome. The official start is in Willow and the race is run yearly beginning on the first Saturday in March since 1973. Competition is high and […]
The Cove
The Cove is an award-winning documentary which documents the slaughter of more than 20,000 dolphins and porpoises off the coast of Taiji, Japan every year. The filmmakers organized a covert mission to expose the killing of dolphins. The dolphins’ meat, which contains high levels of mercury, is sold in Asia, often labeled as whale meat. […]
War Horse (Movie)
In 2011, Steven Spielberg directed a film called War Horse, starring Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson and David Thewlis. The film is based on a novel by the same name, written by British author Michael Morpurgo. The movie follows the fortunes of a horse named Joey and his special relationship with a boy named Albert, who […]
TV Pets
Many TV shows feature pets as part of the cast. How many of these TV pets do you recognize? Eddie from Frasier – A Jack Russell Terrier named Moose played Eddie on Frasier for 10 years. In order to get him to lick his co-stars’ faces, they had to dab them with liver pate. The […]
Pets in Movies
Pets play important roles in many Hollywood films. Sometimes the family pet is the main character and sometimes the supporting actor, but the are always adorable! Some famous movie pets are: Marley, from Marley and Me starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston. In this movie, a family learns important life lessons from their beloved dog. […]
Movie/TV Cowboys and Their Horses
In the heyday of the Western, the horses cowboys rode were as famous as their riders. Hopalong Cassidy played by William Boyd rode a white Arabian stallion named Topper. Hopalong’s original horse was King Nappy, but when injured, Topper took over. Clayton Moore played the part of “The Lone Ranger” in early TV. Many of […]
Dolphin Tale (Movie)
Dolphin Tale is a movie based on a true story. It stars Harry Connick, Jr., Ashley Judd, Nathan Gamble, Cozi Zuehlsdorff, Kris Kristofferson, and Oscar winner Morgan Freeman. The film focuses on the friendship between a boy named Sawyer and a dolphin who lost his tail in a crab trap. Sawyer is on the beach […]