Visit the official We Bought A Zoo website

Photo credit: StarPix©2011

Director Cameron Crowe	Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson	Elle Fanning and Scarlett Johansson
Benjamin Mee and Matt Damon	Scarlett Johansson

Photo credit: Eric Charbonneau, Le Studio Photography

Read more about the Open House event.

Stars Diane Lane, John Malkovich and Nelsan Ellis (True Blood), and director Randall Wallace were on hand at press day. The photo op helped make everyone aware of animal issues and the importance of animal (and human) safety on the set. Said Secretariat Director Randall Wallace, “When we film living animals in a positive movie, we have an opportunity to share their beauty and majesty with the whole world, and to marvel at the mystery of life.  American Humane helps us do that filming in ways that we keep both people and animals safe.”

Disney’s new biopic features a lot of horse action and American Humane Association’s Certified Animal Safety Representatives™ were on the set to ensure that “No Animals Were Harmed.” American Humane Association is the only animal welfare organization in the world with on-set jurisdiction from the Screen Actors Guild to supervise the use of animals and the only authority to issue the “No Animals Were Harmed”® end-credit disclaimer.

When we are on the set of film and television productions, we monitor animals to ensure their utmost care and well-being — they are never allowed to be placed in harm’s way, not even during the re-enactment of harm or abuse. For the dogfighting scenes in this True Blood episode, well-trained pit bulls and Rottweilers played the role of the “fighting” dogs. Before the fight scenes were filmed, trainers cued the dogs to perform such mild action as playing tug-of-war with a toy, barking, and going to the end of their leashes. The two dogs that appear in the ring together were actually filmed separately. A stuffed prop dog was used for the dog that was “shot” and “killed” (off screen) and then tossed aside.

Movies or shows like this, which bring attention to dogfighting, provide us with an opportunity to remind communities of the seriousness and sheer brutality of this blood sport. Although it is a felony in every state, dogfighting still occurs in towns and cities across our nation. By becoming informed and aware of the cruelty of dogfighting and the crime and violence it breeds, communities can take steps to abolish it. American Humane offers an animal fighting investigation class for those who want to learn more. If you suspect that dogfighting is going on in your neighborhood, you should alert your local law-enforcement agency.

Members of our Film & TV Unit were at AFTRA’s inaugural Frank Nelson Fund Celebrity Golf Classic in Los Angeles on July 19, 2010, to increase awareness about the importance of protecting animals in filmed entertainment — and our role of working with productions to do that.

AFTRA, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, awarded a grant to American Humane last year to fund our vital work monitoring the use of animals in TV productions. With 70,000 members, AFTRA is composed of creative professionals representing many categories of entertainment work throughout the United States. Participating in this event was an opportunity for us to reach a number of those professionals and inform them about our services to the industry, as well as reinforce the need for ensuring our presence on the set of productions involving animals.

Celebrities received information about our Film & TV Unit at our display table before teeing off. While there, they also got to hang out with Crystal, a capuchin monkey, whose film credits include Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, Dr. Doolittle, American Pie and The Zookeeper, slated for release next year.