PETA Files Complaints With District Attorney, Veterinary Board After Documents Detail Underfed, Drugged, Sick Horses Used for HBO Show
For
Immediate Release:
May 3,
2012
Contact:
Wendy
Wegner 202-483-7382
Los Angeles -- As reported in The Washington Post, PETA has filed new complaints with the Los Angeles district attorney's office and with the California Veterinary Medical Board alleging severe mistreatment of horses on the set of HBO's Luck, which was canceled in March following the death of a third horse. The new complaints were prompted by a whistleblower's release of e-mails and memos from the American Humane Association (AHA) providing evidence of apparent violations of both AHA guidelines and state anti-cruelty laws—including that horses were purposefully underfed and regularly drugged—from the filming of the pilot episode through the second season.
"These documents appear to reveal what Luck executive producers David Milch and Michael Mann have repeatedly denied: that horses were mistreated and endangered on a daily basis," says PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange. "HBO says today it lost $35 million with the cancellation of Luck, but the horses paid a much bigger price. The authorities can take action now to send a message that cruelty to animals for the sake of 'entertainment'—or for any reason—will not be tolerated."
The whistleblower's documents report the following conduct, which allegedly took place under the direction of trainer Matthew Chew, who was hired by Milch's production company, and with the apparent knowledge of veterinarian Dr. Heidi Agnic:
- To save money, horses were underfed. One horse was an alarming 300 pounds underweight. Chew proposed covering the protruding ribs of another horse with a blanket during filming.
- Sick horses were regularly used in filming.
- Some sick horses disappeared from the set without explanation, and the trainer was warned that he could be charged with neglect.
- Improperly trained, unprepared horses were used in racing sequences, endangering the horses and jockeys.
- Horses were regularly tranquilized in order to keep them docile.
Documents further allege that Chew attempted to deceive humane officers by providing false names for horses in an apparent attempt to keep the officers from discovering that the horses were unfit for running the "races" required for filming. The situation was so dangerous for the horses that AHA-hired humane officers urged AHA executives to recommend the dismissal of Chew. There's no evidence that the AHA acted on its officers' advice.
For more information, please visit PETA.org.