Peta is outraged by the death of a horse on the set of “Rings of Power”

Animal rights activists have condemned the death of a horse on the set of the spin-off series Lord of the Rings, the rings of power. As reported by the US media Deadlinethe animal went into cardiac arrest on March 21, before rehearsals for Season 2 of the hit Prime Video series.

“We are deeply sorry to confirm that a horse died on March 21. The incident occurred in the morning when the horse was exercising before rehearsals. The trainer was not in costume and filming had not yet started,” Amazon explained in a statement from press. transmitted by Deadline.

And to add: “A veterinarian and a representative of the American Humane Association were present at that time. The autopsy confirmed that the horse died of heart failure.”

According DeadlineMore than 30 horses were present on the set during the incident, supplied by The Devil’s Horsemen company, which works for productions such as Wonder Woman, League of Justice, game of Thrones either The crown.

Using horses in computer graphics

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) quickly reacted to the animal’s death in a statement, urging the entertainment industry to stop using real horses in filming.

“The producers of ‘Rings of Power’ have the ability to use CGI, mechanical gimmicks and other methods that would not result in the death of vulnerable horses on set,” PETA said in a statement broadcast by US media. variety.

“If the creators of the series and all the other producers can’t help but exploit animals for their work, they should release their creations in another medium, because nobody wants to see a spin-off with the theme of suffering,” continues PETA. .

Filming in the UK

In the past, director Peter Jackson has also faced criticism while filming the prequel to the Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in 2012 where more than a dozen animals including horses died. Another horse recently also died “of natural causes” in 2022 while filming the series. the golden age from HBO.

After settling in New Zealand for his first season, the rings of power he is now filming in the UK. A true Prime Video hit, the series is set during Tolkien’s “Second Age” in Middle-earth, thousands of years before the events of the Hobbit and Lord of the RingsTolkien’s cult trilogy.

Amazon paid $250 million to buy the rights to Tolkien and some $465 million was spent on the production of the first season. With the group committing to broadcast five seasons, the final sum should well exceed one billion.