Were animals harmed in the making?
Browse movies, tv shows, books and more animals were harmed in the making.
This trigger is for viewers who are concerned about the ethical treatment of animals in filmmaking. Some older films or films with unrealistic stunts may have used methods that harmed animals.
Pin to top of search results.
Movie • 1980 Report
Yes
88
No
0
48
jdpamv
A snake loved by one of the cast members was mercilessly killed for a pointless scene. The killing is entirely on-display.
Movie • 1980 Report
Yes
86
No
2
28
Sibelos
It's pretty common knowledge that every animal death in this movie is real.
Movie • 1975 Report
Yes
52
No
2
14
EchoGarden1
The open shark is a real shark they caught and killed. Also, the way they got the shark to attack the cage was really bad.
Movie • 1986 Report
Yes
46
No
6
16
cha0ticneutralsystem
Allegations of animal abuse and the deaths of at least 20 kittens on set
Movie • 2024 Report
Yes
43
No
3
16
jdpamv
Rodeo scene, worsened by the fact that the creators refused to add a disclaimer about the abusive nature of rodeos.
Movie • 1972 Report
Yes
38
No
0
13
averagehorrorenjoyer
a live chicken was beaten, strangled, and used to rape someone. it died as a result. if you wanna skip the scene, the timestamp in the uncut version is 0:28:40-0:30:19
Movie • 2003 Report
Yes
34
No
0
12
cha0ticneutralsystem
4 Octopus where eaten alive on set to get the scene where he eats the octopus alive
Movie • 1985 Report
Yes
23
No
1
6
oroontheheels
Cow that’s shown dying in the movie was actually dying from a gun wound inflicted on her by director’s orders.
Movie • 1989 Report
Yes
22
No
1
14
Ollie2
The American Humane Association rated this film "unacceptable" because of the rat that was submerged in oxygenated liquid in one scene.
"James Cameron later admitted that four rats had indeed gone through the procedure without problems; the fifth, however, suffered a cardiac arrest. Fortunately, Cameron was able to revive it through careful chest compressions, and later kept it as a pet."
Supposedly, the only purpose for the cuts in the sequence was to avoid showing the rats defecating from panic.
And you need only watch the scene to see a rat in enormous distress.
"James Cameron later admitted that four rats had indeed gone through the procedure without problems; the fifth, however, suffered a cardiac arrest. Fortunately, Cameron was able to revive it through careful chest compressions, and later kept it as a pet."
Supposedly, the only purpose for the cuts in the sequence was to avoid showing the rats defecating from panic.
And you need only watch the scene to see a rat in enormous distress.
Movie • 2003 Report
Yes
22
No
0
8
cha0ticneutralsystem
Reports of explosions and pyrotechnic displays killing the local marine life
Movie • 2019 Report
Yes
21
No
0
11
it’s a documentary about someone who abuses & kills animals online anonymously, unfortunately the clips are real footage from said videos the person posts
Movie • 1974 Report
Yes
20
No
3
3
hildahildahi
Chicken was put in a tiny ass cage and is bumped into multiple times which makes it swing around
Movie • 1979 Report
Yes
20
No
0
10
Sid
An ox was hacked to death during a religious ritual. As far as I can tell the ritual would have happened anyway so it wasn’t killed specifically for the film
Movie • 2012 Report
Yes
19
No
0
6
cha0ticneutralsystem
Reports of 27 animals (mainly sheep and goats) being malnourished, dying or starvation, drowned or exhausted on set. They were supposedly let off with a warning and weren’t investigated further by the AHA
TV Show • 2019 Report
Yes
18
No
0
3
the movie is about someone who posted videos of himself .... hurting... cats, unfortunately actual clips of said videos are in this movie.
Movie • 1972 Report
Yes
18
No
5
10
Nufsaid
Yes, a real horse was killed but supposedly it was not killed for the movie.
“We didn’t kill the horse,” Coppola said. “Most horses are killed for dog food. So we went to the dog food company, and we looked at the horses before they were slaughtered. I didn’t do it, but the art director found one that looked like the real horse and I said when you kill that horse we want the head.” - https://www.cheatsheet.com
“We didn’t kill the horse,” Coppola said. “Most horses are killed for dog food. So we went to the dog food company, and we looked at the horses before they were slaughtered. I didn’t do it, but the art director found one that looked like the real horse and I said when you kill that horse we want the head.” - https://www.cheatsheet.com
Movie • 2005 Report
Yes
16
No
0
6
EamonToPlease
A tank of fish were accidentally killed on the set.
Movie • 2012 Report
Yes
15
No
0
13
cha0ticneutralsystem
The tiger used in the movie was abused and mistreated on set and almost drowned during production
Book Report
Yes
15
No
3
Movie • 1977 Report
Yes
13
No
4
8
MagitekVai
Maggots were crushed during the filming of the movie
Movie • 2022 Report
Yes
13
No
1
Movie Report
Yes
13
No
1
Movie • 2008 Report
Yes
12
No
0
4
BlueJ
30 puppies were initially bought to use in the film, 25 from an American breeder. 15 fell ill, and 3 died. They were 8 weeks old when an American Humane Safety Representative saw them on the first day of filming and were even younger when they were brought to set, breaking US Department of Agriculture regulations at the time. This group was removed from production. 28 more were bought to replace them, at least 6 fell ill, and 2 died. [source: American Humane Association Statement, March 27, 2007]
Movie • 2024 Report
Yes
12
No
2
0
HFan
They kill a real goat and skin it. It is horrible.
Movie • 1925 Report
Yes
12
No
0
4
cha0ticneutralsystem
Horses where shot frequently on set for limping or not “acting correctly”
Movie • 1903 Report
Yes
12
No
0
13
SpikeGreene
Literally the entire film's purpose, over 74 seconds, is the real electrocution of a real elephant. It is not only immoral, but absolutely disgusting.
TV Show • 2010 Report
Yes
11
No
4
3
perunamuusi
S3
E3
A hunting trip results in a dead deer tied to a horse's back and a fishing trip in a big dead fish. Neither killing is not shown, but ofc it doesn’t make any difference to the animals that it wasn’t filmed, they were killed to become props.
Movie • 1973 Report
Yes
11
No
2
10
Rory_John14
There's debate around this, but potentially. There is a scene where, in the narrative at least, animals are burned alive. The director has claimed that they weren't really hurt or even in the structure that was burning, but an actor said some did die. A crew member has claimed that the animals were at least in severe emotional distress, with a goat urinating due to fear. During the burning scene, you hear an animal screaming.
Movie • 2013 Report
Yes
11
No
0
13
It‘s a documentary about the abuse and exploitation of Orcas, so any shown harm is real
Movie • 1977 Report
Yes
11
No
4
3
WellButtered
While the dog was technically dead before filming, the dog corpse shown is an actual euthanized dog that production team bought and ripped apart.