Guidelines

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  Help Us Continue Our Mission

  
  

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  American Humane Association has sole authority, through a contract with the Screen Actors Guild, to protect animals used in the film and television industries. Please help us be there to apply our high standards for the treatment of animals on set, ensuring that "No Animals Were Harmed."®
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  The Historic Legacy of the

  
  

  Film and Television Unit.

  
  

  American Humane Association’s Film & TV Unit is the leader in the protection of animal actors. With established Guidelines, on-set monitoring, movie ratings and reviews, and stories from the set, the Film & TV Unit is the only animal welfare organization with oversight sanctioned by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). American Humane Association assumes the monumental undertaking of providing protection for animal actors and keeps the public informed.
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  Guidelines for the Safe Use of Animals in Filmed Media -

  
  

  Protecting Animal Actors

  
  

  Since the introduction of the Guidelines, animal accidents, illnesses and deaths on set have sharply declined. Prior to 1980, American Humane Association listed 107 films as Unacceptable because of deliberate neglect or malice toward animals. From 1980 to 1988, when our Guidelines debuted, 31 films were found Unacceptable. Since 1988, only 16 films have received that ignoble distinction.
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Improving Our Ability to Protect Animals On Set

An updated version of American Humane Association’s Guidelines for the Safe Use of Animals in Filmed Media as part of our continuing effort to address new knowledge, experience and techniques regarding the use of animals in filmed entertainment. As well, we continue to address new issues and ever-evolving technological advancements. The June 2009 update is part of our ongoing work to determine better and safer practices for protecting animals in filmed entertainment.

This revision follows ongoing intensive evaluation, alteration, updates and, in some areas, expansion of guidelines by American Humane Association’s advisory panel of recognized authorities, including veterinarians, national animal welfare leaders, film industry professionals and primatologists, as well as experts on other species.

Download our updated Guidelines

Invention and Evolution of the Guidelines
Our first effort to standardize animal care on movie sets came in the 1960s, in the form of a tri-fold “Safety Bulletin” – rudimentary by today’s standards. And when we first codified Guidelines for the Safe Use of Animals in Filmed Media were issued in 1988, it referred to “all sentient beasts.” In the years to follow, these Guidelines have been updated and expanded to address species-specific standards in response to new scientific data, as well as the changing dynamics of filmed media. We created an advisory panel consisting of veterinarians, national animal welfare leaders, film industry professionals and animal behaviorists to help American Humane Association shape the Guidelines to make them as comprehensive as possible.

The latest version, published in June 2009, follows ongoing intensive evaluation, alteration, updates and, in some areas, expansion of guidelines by American Humane Association’s advisory panel of recognized authorities including veterinarians, national animal welfare leaders, film industry professionals and primatologists, as well as experts on other species. As well as up-to-date references to local, state and federal animal welfare codes and permits as part of productions’ responsibility, as well as references to the Safety Bulletins recommended by the Industry-Wide Labor-Management Safety Committee. And we have recently added information on topics such as Reality Programming, Camera Car Safety and Rodeo Simulation, as well as additions and revisions to existing chapters. Productions and Industry Personnel can receive a copy of the spiral-bound, hard-copy free of charge or download it from our website.

Since the introduction of the Guidelines, animal accidents, illnesses and deaths on set have sharply declined.

Updates to Our Guidelines
The 2009 edition added information on Reality Programming, Camera Car Safety, and Rodeo Simulation, as well as additions to existing chapters

American Humane Association Certified Animal Safety Representatives™ undergo extensive classroom and field training to fairly and comprehensively apply the Guidelines where appropriate. Because American Humane Association’s Film & Television Unit is the only animal welfare organization with access to productions for the purpose of monitoring the safety of animal actors, no entity or individual can enforce compliance with the Guidelines without the written approval of American Humane Association. Approval is given when an individual or entity successfully completes the American Humane Association training program and receives full certification. This is often the case with employees of other animal welfare organizations who, having completed American Humane Association’s training, act as on-set monitors overseas.

Because the Guidelines exist to support productions featuring animal actors, and because the Guidelines are accessible in printed form and online, American Humane Association cannot assume responsibility for the inappropriate or unauthorized use of the information contained in them. Although links to the Guidelines may be offered through other websites, American Humane Association does not control the content and information contained on those sites and thus cannot attest to their accuracy.

The information provided in American Humane Association’s Guidelines may not be reproduced, in whole or part, without specifically referencing American Humane Association and the Guidelines.

American Humane Association’s Film & Television Unit continues to respond to changes in the entertainment industry by maintaining the Guidelines as a “living document.” We encourage animal trainers/handlers, filmmakers and productions to check our Guidelines online periodically to keep current with new provisions, for the safety of the animals.