Advertising With Animals - The American Humane Association Speaks Up
Mike Catherall
February 16, 2006
After 'Going Bananas' hit the Internet a last week I started to get some calls from the American Humane Association, asking me to clarify a few issues.
I was happy to speak with them, as it was good to get the inside scoop on how animals are treated while filming commercials, and how the 'No Animals Were Harmed?? stamp for motion pictures is doled out.
The American Human Association works in conjunction with the Screen Actors Guild to ensure that animals are treated well while on set. To correct the 'Going Bananas' article, American Humane is present during the filming of not only motion pictures, but music videos, television, and commercials as well; Anywhere that animals are used in filming of any sort.
While they do not monitor the training facilities previous to filming, or the sanctuaries in place for the animals after they retire, American Humane has assured me there are governing bodies for such areas, such as The Department of Fish and Wildlife Service, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and The Association of Sanctuaries (TAOS). These individual bodies are very thorough and good at what they do.
The jurisdiction of American Humane lies entirely within how animals are treated while filming. They are the only humane group that monitors animals during the production process.
Our role is in the here and now. We are not a censorship body and we see taking a stance on content as interfering. It is our belief that as long as animals are used in films, it is our role to see that they are treated fairly.? Kathryn Jahnigen, PR Associate for American Humane told me from Colorado.
To clarify the American Humane Association's role in terms of the use of animals in the Super Bowl, they sent me this release:
Our mission as an animal welfare organization is to protect the animals while they work on the set. Whenever a script calls for intense animal action, we promote the use of safer alternatives and of technology like CGI or animatronics. Our jurisdiction does not cover the commercial's content or message.?
In other words they have made their primary focus that no animals are harmed, without interfering with the way they are depicted, which can often be a sensitive and subjective affair.
In regards to the use of animals during the Super Bowl they have released this statement:
Certified Animal Safety Representatives from American Humane's Film & Television Unit have monitored the vast majority of those commercial productions, enforcing our stringent Guidelines for the Safe Use of Animals in Filmed Media. The major television networks -- ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox -- typically require American Humane's official sign-off before they will air any spot that uses animals.?
While TV commercials do not have the 'No Animals Were Harmed'? stamp of approval right in the ad, I was informed that this is purely a logistical matter. TV ads are usually only 30 seconds in length and this doesn't leave time to include the stamp. This is not to say that American Humane is not there, they are almost always present in domestically filmed television advertisements. They were there for the Careerbuilder ad mentioned in the other article, and confirmed that the apes were very well treated while on set.
When I spoke with Karen Rosa, Director of the American Humane Association's Film & TV Unit from her office in Los Angeles, she assured me that times have changed, for the most part, in terms of how animals are now treated on set, and that as an organization they have seen a lot of change in the treatment of animals as humans have become more aware. ?Time marches on. What we know has grown in the last 25 years. 65% of homeowners now own a pet, and interest and knowledge about the treatment of animals has increased.?
So why would they not oppose the use of chimps altogether? Simply put, they believe that if the great apes are treated well on set, that is the scope of their jurisdiction, and if chimps are not used in North America, where there are regulating bodies, they will be used nonetheless in other countries without such stringent standards.
While American Humane does promote animatronics and CGI over live animals when the action calls for risk that would put a live animal in great jeopardy, they acknowledge that animals are a part of our reality, and if they are treated with kindness and fairness, animals can be something that we can enjoy as a part of our lives and as an element of our entertainment, just as we do with their human counterparts.
I was happy to speak with them, as it was good to get the inside scoop on how animals are treated while filming commercials, and how the 'No Animals Were Harmed?? stamp for motion pictures is doled out.
The American Human Association works in conjunction with the Screen Actors Guild to ensure that animals are treated well while on set. To correct the 'Going Bananas' article, American Humane is present during the filming of not only motion pictures, but music videos, television, and commercials as well; Anywhere that animals are used in filming of any sort.
While they do not monitor the training facilities previous to filming, or the sanctuaries in place for the animals after they retire, American Humane has assured me there are governing bodies for such areas, such as The Department of Fish and Wildlife Service, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and The Association of Sanctuaries (TAOS). These individual bodies are very thorough and good at what they do.
The jurisdiction of American Humane lies entirely within how animals are treated while filming. They are the only humane group that monitors animals during the production process.
Our role is in the here and now. We are not a censorship body and we see taking a stance on content as interfering. It is our belief that as long as animals are used in films, it is our role to see that they are treated fairly.? Kathryn Jahnigen, PR Associate for American Humane told me from Colorado.
To clarify the American Humane Association's role in terms of the use of animals in the Super Bowl, they sent me this release:
Our mission as an animal welfare organization is to protect the animals while they work on the set. Whenever a script calls for intense animal action, we promote the use of safer alternatives and of technology like CGI or animatronics. Our jurisdiction does not cover the commercial's content or message.?
In other words they have made their primary focus that no animals are harmed, without interfering with the way they are depicted, which can often be a sensitive and subjective affair.
In regards to the use of animals during the Super Bowl they have released this statement:
Certified Animal Safety Representatives from American Humane's Film & Television Unit have monitored the vast majority of those commercial productions, enforcing our stringent Guidelines for the Safe Use of Animals in Filmed Media. The major television networks -- ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox -- typically require American Humane's official sign-off before they will air any spot that uses animals.?
While TV commercials do not have the 'No Animals Were Harmed'? stamp of approval right in the ad, I was informed that this is purely a logistical matter. TV ads are usually only 30 seconds in length and this doesn't leave time to include the stamp. This is not to say that American Humane is not there, they are almost always present in domestically filmed television advertisements. They were there for the Careerbuilder ad mentioned in the other article, and confirmed that the apes were very well treated while on set.
When I spoke with Karen Rosa, Director of the American Humane Association's Film & TV Unit from her office in Los Angeles, she assured me that times have changed, for the most part, in terms of how animals are now treated on set, and that as an organization they have seen a lot of change in the treatment of animals as humans have become more aware. ?Time marches on. What we know has grown in the last 25 years. 65% of homeowners now own a pet, and interest and knowledge about the treatment of animals has increased.?
So why would they not oppose the use of chimps altogether? Simply put, they believe that if the great apes are treated well on set, that is the scope of their jurisdiction, and if chimps are not used in North America, where there are regulating bodies, they will be used nonetheless in other countries without such stringent standards.
While American Humane does promote animatronics and CGI over live animals when the action calls for risk that would put a live animal in great jeopardy, they acknowledge that animals are a part of our reality, and if they are treated with kindness and fairness, animals can be something that we can enjoy as a part of our lives and as an element of our entertainment, just as we do with their human counterparts.
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