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Group claims elephant in Witherspoon film was abused
Tai, the elephant in the drama 'Water for Elephants,' was abused by its trainers, according to a group that is urging a boycott of the movie.

By

Dean Goodman, Reuters
Tue, May 10 2011 at 8:39 PM
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Robert Pattinson sits with elephant Tai in 'Water for Elephants'

ABUSED: Animal Defenders International has released an undercover video from 2005 showing an elephant it identifies as the same one that appeared in the movie apparently being beaten with hooks and shocked with stun guns. (Photo: ZUMA Press)

 
LOS ANGELES - The 9,000-pound co-star of the new Reese Witherspoon drama "Water for Elephants" was abused by its trainers, according to a group that is urging a boycott of the movie.
 
Animal Defenders International has released an undercover video from 2005 showing an elephant it identifies as the same one that appeared in the movie apparently being beaten with hooks and shocked with stun guns.
 
The heavily edited videoclip contains a sequence of brief scenes backed by mournful music. In one scene, an elephant makes a loud noise while performing a headstand as a trainer appears to deliver an electric shock.
 
Coincidentally, "Water for Elephants" deals in part with animal abuse at a Depression-era circus. Its filmmakers and stars went to great lengths during their publicity efforts to proclaim that the animals were treated well, likely unaware of any mistreatment that may have taken place behind the scenes.
 
Animal Defenders said it released the footage to set the record straight. It was allegedly filmed at a California ranch as part of the group's wider investigation into animal mistreatment.
 
The ranch is owned by a firm, Have Trunk Will Travel, that hires out elephants to movie and video productions. Have Trunk Will Travel strongly defended itself in an emailed statement, describing Animal Defenders as an "extremist group" with "a history of using less than honest means to achieve their goals."
 
"If there was truly any abuse going on why wait six minutes, much less six years?," owners Gary and Kari Johnson said.
 
Gary Johnson told Reuters Television last month that Tai, the 42-year-old Asian elephant that stars in "Water for Elephants," was well treated.
 
The film's distributor, 20th Century Fox, said in a statement that it was "disturbed and saddened" by the content of the video, but that it took every step to ensure that the animals in the production were treated humanely.
 
The studio said a representative of the American Humane Association was on the set throughout production, but Animal Defenders said that was beside the point.
 
"I don't think it's good for anyone to say, 'I didn't see any abuse in my presence,' because you're not going to," Animal Defenders president Jan Creamer told Reuters. "You have to look at the whole life experience of the animal."
 
She said the group did not release the video immediately because its focuses more on long-term work and industry-wide investigation. The alleged methods at the California ranch are commonplace, Creamer said.
 
The American Humane Association, reiterating that it did not see any mistreatment during production, said in a statement that it was not clear about all of the content on the video.
 
"We hope with all our heart that the disturbing images on it are not what they appear to be," it said.
 
Ideally, Tai and the four other elephants at the ranch would be retired to an animal sanctuary, Creamer said, and Hollywood would turn to computer imagery instead of using real animals.
 
"There's never any justification for using live animals as a form of entertainment," she said.
 
In the meantime, she urged moviegoers to boycott both "Water for Elephants" and Tai's upcoming appearance in the Kevin James comedy "Zookeeper." A spokesman for Fox declined to comment on the boycott call, and an email to "Zookeeper" distributor Sony Pictures was not answered.
 
"Water for Elephants," which also stars "Twilight" hunk Robert Pattinson, has earned $43 million since its April 22 release in North America, and $21 million internationally.
 
(Editing by Jill Serjeant)
 

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Comments: 4
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anonymous
Kendall May 12 2011 at 11:36 PM
I am lead to believe that ADI is an extremist group by the president's statement that "There's never any justification for using live animals as a form of entertainment." Really? Never? From this I can glean that the stewardship of any domesticated pet or therapy animal is frowned upon by this group. Why else have pets if not for our mutual pleasure? My pets -- my dogs, cats, and especially my parrot! -- are all constant sources of amusement for my entire family and quite naturally! I do my best
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to return the favor to them each and all. I have a very strong feeling that this ADI group is more concerned with Animal Rights rather than Animal Welfare. The difference being that the former choose to put individual animals on the same level of importance as an individual person. Meanwhile welfare advocates choose to treat animals humanely-- rather than HUMANLY. I fear that over-zealous animal rights groups cast a bad shadow over welfare groups that truly wish to seek out and prosecute abusers and protect the health and well-being of these innocent creatures. Anyone who mistreats or neglects animals should be severely punished and certainly should never be allowed to work with animals in that capacity every again. If ADI witnessed these elephants being abused in this manner, why was it not stopped immediately?! I could not stand by and watch this atrocity -- not for one minute. To heck with the "long-term investigation" -- that elephant needed help right then and there!
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anonymous
Deb C May 12 2011 at 9:31 AM
I was shocked by the first video ADI released, and I'll admit, a bit skeptical. Now the same group has released a second, 9.5 minute video that puts my skepticism to rest. Have Trunk Will Travel should be closed down, but unfortunately from what I've been reading it looks as though nothing they've done is illegal. Something's very wrong here. I now understand that it's possible that no abuse happened on the set, and that actors, director, the American Humane Association and crew knew nothing. But
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the lives of these animals off the set is a another story. Abuse, whether aimed at children, spouses, the elderly, or even animals typically happens behind closed doors and not on stage for the whole world to see. And everyone is always shocked when they find out the truth, because "he/she was such a nice person." To view, and I warn you it's very graphic, check this link.http://vimeo.com/23564589
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delicia
delicia May 11 2011 at 9:18 PM
I have no idea whether or not ADI is an extremist animal org or not but I can say this. NO ONE besides zoo's that protect or sanctuaries should be in possesion of any species of animal that are endangered or on the brink of being obliterated. All elephants are extremely endangered. If in fact the people who own Tai and the other elephants are mistreating them then they should be hung from their cahonies or given, at the very least, a taste of their own medicine as should anyone who abuses animals...
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cats and dogs included. Money is a filthy thing. It drives people to do things that, perhaps, they would never do. I say find a place that help these creatures to survive and even perhaps if possible readapt them into their normal environment to be what they were created to be....wild, free, miraculous wonders who need our protection. Not inflicting abuse or death on them. People just can't seem to get it through their thick skulls that we belong to the earth as all animals do. We don't own the earth or anything on it. HOWEVER, since we are the CARTAKERS of this world we have the obligation to do what is right of it and all its inhabitants. Another thing that is not understood is that if all that live on land or in the oceans keep being decimated that we too will die. It's as simple and as true as that. To anyone holding wild species, let the animals go to a proper place. Please do the right thing.
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anonymous
George Grey May 12 2011 at 8:16 AM
We should punish all people who hard any animal in any way, real or perceived. Fine the owners of race horses for making them run so fast. Arrest butchers for killing and mutilating animals for the sake of feeding hungry orphans. Put people to death for restraining a dog on a leash. To go one further, the whole idea of someone "owning" an animal should be outlawed since how can someone truly own a great majestic creature of the earth. We need to emancipate the animals of the earth from
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the brutal slavery that they have been subjected to. If we are to humanize animals, we will have people being put to death for murdering a mouse or worse, genocide of an entire colony of ants. In short, aren't there better things to be worried about than if one elephant wasn't being actively worships by PETA.
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