PETA Responds After Horse Dies on Set of ‘Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’
Animal rights organization PETA has criticized Prime Video‘s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power after a horse died on the set of the fantasy television series.
Amazon Studios confirmed on Sunday (March 26) morning that a horse suffered a cardiac arrest on March 21 before rehearsals.
“The incident took place in the morning whilst the horse was being exercised prior to rehearsals,” an Amazon spokesperson said. “The trainer was not in costume and filming had yet to commence. Both a veterinarian and a representative of the American Humane Association were present at the time. The independent necropsy has confirmed that the horse died of cardiac failure.”
According to Deadline, more than 30 horses were being used on the show that day. The animals were supplied by The Devil’s Horsemen, a family-run company that has provided horses and carriages for the film and TV industry for over 50 years, including for shows such as Game of Thrones and The Crown. This is the first known horse death to happen on set in the company’s history.
Following the news of the horse’s death, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) released a statement urging production companies to stop using real horses on set.
“It seems that living underground with the orcs is par for the course for the producers of The Rings of Power because they have the option to use CGI, mechanical rigs and other humane methods that wouldn’t run vulnerable horses to death on set,” PETA senior vice president Lisa Lange said in a statement (via Variety).
She continued, “PETA is calling on the show’s creators — and all other producers — to take on a new quest without using any real horses. If they can’t avoid exploiting animals for their art, they should find a new medium because no one wants to see a spinoff for TV with torment as the theme.”
This comes just under a year since PETA released a similar statement after the death of a horse on the set of HBO’s The Gilded Age. At the time, the cable network stated that the animal “likely died of natural causes, according to a veterinarian’s preliminary findings.”
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Season 2 Premiere, TBD, Prime Video
