Normally I have a tendency to side with just about any animal rights advocates and have been a PETA supporter for years. I purchase free range/cruelty free meats and eggs when I eat meat at all, and I tend strongly toward an unofficial vegan diet. That is a bit difficult given what Monsanto has done to corn, wheat and soy, but that's another issue entirely.
The only true exception to that is my obsession with Argentinian beef. Oh baby! Charred on the outside and mooing in the middle--preferably served at Cambalache Restaurant, the one true fine dining restaurant in Cancun, Mexico, where the Ceasar dressing is whipped up fresh at table-side and spread, leaf by leaf on greens so fresh they still smell of the ocean air. The atmosphere is casual elegance with fine crystal, real linen table cloths and servers who know how to deliver professional wine service from a decent list. And I have wandered completely off topic.
Animal rights. I believe strongly in them. I have rescued a number of cats. Dogs are more difficult for me, as I am not able to provide the level commitment dogs require for true happiness. (They are so much more needy than cats!) If you cannot spend at least an hour a day walking your dog, do not have a dog. It's that simple. Some days I cannot do that, so I don't have a dog. I also don't like the pathogens they bring into the house that could sicken my strictly indoor only cat (they live up to a decade longer indoors only) so dogs are a no-go for me. I don't go to breeders, but have always rescued my pets, spayed and neutered them. I adopted my brother's cats when he died rather than seeing them go to a shelter.
I also admire Pamela Sue Anderson Lee Anderson Lee Anderson. I think there's another name or two in there somewhere too, but I don't know how many of them she married or didn't, so I'll stick with Anderson, and as I said I share her support of PETA. I was disgusted by the conditions of the "Colonel Sanders chickens" when that all came to light and first contributed to the cause then. I don't wear fur, though I do have a weakness for Louis Vuitton leather goods. As I see it, those animals have already been killed for meat anyway.
I was checking out the PETA blog when I saw a little sideline that said:
Having seen the trailer, I thought ohhh no, this is going to be really bad. Some of that horse action was really intense. I wonder how many horses died. It must have been quite of few...
THIS is an exact copy of the blog entry:
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Read This Before You Go See 'The Lone Ranger'
06-27-2013
As a huge Johnny Depp fan, I was initially pretty excited about the opening of The Lone Ranger next weekend. But since I also care about horses, I'm going to have to pass on the "Who was that masked man?" reboot. That's because the movie contains several scenes that put horses in danger.
© StarMaxInc.com
During filming, a horse almost drowned after being forced to swim across the rain-swollen Colorado River and being swept downstream. The horse was saved only because a production crew was in a pontoon boat downriver and someone was able to throw a lasso around the animal's head and pull the horse ashore.
Making a movie with horses can be dangerous for humans, too. During the filming of another scene, Depp fell off his horse and was trampled.
Horses hold the depressing distinction of being the animal most frequently injured or killed on TV and movie sets. As a recent example, you may remember that the horse racing–themed TV show Luck was canceled after three horses died during the first season alone.
Horses' high casualty rate is attributable to several factors. While horses are domesticated and therefore more easily trained than exotic animals, many people involved in the film industry are unfamiliar with their behavior and needs and therefore make demands on them that are stressful, uncomfortable, and downright dangerous. Horses are also prey animals who are easily frightened and have a high flight instinct—and when they flee, they can seriously hurt themselves. Some horse trainers are inexperienced and/or abusive, and even reputable trainers know that they may be putting their jobs on the line if they resist when asked to put horses at risk. In fact, one trainer was fired from The Lone Ranger production for refusing to shoot potentially dangerous scenes.
What You Can Do
If a movie contains scenes with horses, hi-ho, Silver, stay away! Instead, stick with films that use sophisticated computer-generated imagery, which weaves a story without harming a hair on an animal's head.
- MORE SHARING SERVICES
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So, this huge tragedy that should make everyone stay away from the film is that zero horses were hurt or killed.
PETA blog then went on to talk about some television show (Luck) that was canceled because some horses were killed. What does that have to do with Johnny Depp or the Lone Ranger?
So, being me, I did some research on how the horse stunts were filmed. This is what I found out.
The filming did include a horse swimming across a river and it did begin to drift out of frame. A pontoon boat was there for the purposes of wrangling. The animal was controlled without incident or injury to horse or human. As for Johnny Depp being "trampled"...PETA blog forgot one word--ALMOST.
The link below shows clips of how difficult some of the stunts were and the story discusses how Depp was ALMOST trampled during filming. Let me say that one more time. ALMOST.
This is personally offensive to me too because I know "horse people" and no one cares more about horses--no one gives more in talent and money to causes like saving the wild mustangs and humane treatment of horses, such as caring for retired and injured race horses and other horse related issues than they do! They're borderline freaky about it. Many of them care more about their horses than they do their own children, and that is no hyperbole! So on this issue PETA is just plain wrong...especially in targeting someone like Johnny Depp who has always been so conscientious.
PETA would have a film people worked very hard to make authentic dragged through the mud for no legitimate reason--in hopes of getting some cheap publicity. That makes me distrust the organization as a whole. I can tell you they will absolutely never receive another dime from me. Once someone lies to me I'm done with them; it's that simple. A mistake I can understand, but multiple outright lies--no way will I tolerate that. From now on I'll do my donating locally. I suggest you do the same.
