American Humane Factors Fear For Animals In Reality ProgrammingAmerican Humane Association The American Humane Association's (AHA) Film and TV Unit today said it is concerned that animals will be harmed in pursuit of "reality entertainment" throughout the 2001-2002 television season. AHA officials said that the past two seasons of reality programming have produced shows with a blatant disregard for the welfare of animals. According to AHA officials, shows such as Survivor and Fear Factor have placed animals in jeopardy, killed animals and ignored the standards of humane treatment of animals in filmed media.  AHA's Film and Television Unit has been protecting animal actors for over 60 years and its "Guidelines for the Safety of Animals in Filmed Media" are considered an industry standard. AHA does not traditionally oversee documentary films, however, entertainment products for television, motion pictures, commercials and video markets fall under its jurisdiction and are eligible for the well-known "no animal was harmed" disclaimer. AHA's authority to work with the film and television industry comes from the Screen Actors Guild agreement with producers. "As long as animals are used as part of filmed entertainment, producers should abide by AHA's contractual standards that provide animals protection from abuse, cruelty and exploitation," stated Karen Goschen, vice president, AHA's Western Regional Office. "The American public has come to regard AHA as the authority on the humane treatment of animals in filmed media and turns to us for explanations of how animals are treated in this entertainment sector. There has been grave concern over blatant acts of cruelty toward animals in the making of several reality shows. AHA has received complaints regarding Survivor, Fear Factor, Big Brother, Murder in Small Town X and Real TV." Networks and producers claim such shows are filmed under the auspices of "reality" and compare to the documentary format. But, according to Goschen, acts of cruelty to animals staged for entertainment purposes do not qualify as documentary footage. AHA has received reports indicating reality TV producers are not necessarily documenting events, rather they are staging them. During the past two seasons of Survivor, a pig was killed; rats were also killed and eaten, as were fish and bugs. "AHA cannot condone the violent deaths of these animals without legitimate survival rationale. The sensationalist, staged events were for entertainment purposes and as such are unacceptable by AHA and U.S. industry standards," Goschen continued. Another show that pushed boundaries was Fear Factor. Although AHA was aware the show was filming, producers were uncooperative in allowing AHA on set and refused to obey AHA Guidelines. AHA was allowed on set for the use of rats on one episode, but was not notified of the filming of other segments featuring snakes, bugs and sheep. "The mission of AHA's Film and TV Unit is to protect everything from an ant to an elephant because life should be respected, especially for the sake of entertainment. Reality programs are thriving and have become a huge part of the global market. The message they send in disregarding life in any form flies in the face of public cries for compassion. If we permit the abuse and exploitation of animals in reality entertainment, we stand the danger of encouraging additional abuse in the real world," Goschen concluded. For more information on AHA's Film and TV Unit, log on to www.ahafilm.org. To express your opinions to the producers and networks about cruelty towards animals in reality programming, contact: Survivor CBS Entertainment Fear Factor NBC Entertainment Founded in 1877, the American Humane Association is the nation's only national non-profit dedicated to protecting children and animals from cruelty, abuse, neglect and exploitation. With headquarters in Colorado, AHA also works in Washington, DC, as a voice for children and animals before government, and in Los Angeles to protect animals used in film and television.
For more information, or to contact American Humane Association, see their website at: www.americanhumane.org |
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