Treatment of animals in the entertainment industry is governed by the American Humane Association, which is accused of lax oversight in a recent lawsuit. The cofounders of Animal Support speak out against the practice of animal neglect and abuse on the sets of large budget films.

From: PRWeb

New claims that production supervisors from the American Humane Association may have turned a blind eye to instances of animal abuse and neglect on film and television productions were cited in Superior Court of the State of California case Barbara Casey v. The American Humane Association on July 30th 2013, case no. BC 497991). Julian Omidi, Maria Abaca and Dr. Michael Omidi, the cofounders of the non-profit Animal Support, are exceedingly concerned about this assertion and want to ensure that all animals are treated with the care and respect they deserve.

“The American Humane Association must employ trustworthy and unbiased overseers to enforce the standards for keeping and using animals within the entertainment industry,” says Dr. Michael Omidi, cofounder of Animal Support.

Large films and television series that employ animals must have the American Humane Association stamp of approval that no animals were harmed during the filming process. The controversy originated from Barbara Casey, former director of production for the American Humane Association film and television unit.
Complaints were that several television and film productions have circumvented or ignored animal safety standards and yet have still been awarded the Association’s closing credit assurance that “no animals were harmed.” According to case no. BC 497991, several television programs and films, including “Luck,” “Temple Grandin,” “The Hobbit,” “Life of Pi,” and “War Horse” had multiple instances of animal abuse, but were nonetheless given the approval of the AHA.