‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power‘ made its debut last year on Amazon Prime. Based on J. R. R. Tolkien’s namesake novels and their appendices, the series takes place in the Second Age of Middle-earth. It met with mostly positive responses, with particular praise for its visuals.
A very unfortunate incident recently occurred on its set. A horse died of cardiac arrest during the rehearsals of one of the scenes. PETA, the animal rights organization, has condemned this tragic incident and has slammed the production house. So let’s find out in detail about this issue.
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Horse Dies On ‘The Rings Of Power’ Set
The first season of Amazon Prime’s ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power‘ premiered last year and met with mixed to positive reviews. A second season was greenlit and its filming has been going on lately.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, a production horse died of cardiac arrest during rehearsals of the series. The horse passed away on March 21. “We are deeply saddened to confirm that a production horse died,” a spokesperson from Amazon Studios said in a statement.
“The incident took place in the morning whilst the horse was being exercised prior to rehearsals“, they further said. A trainer, a veterinarian, and a representative of the American Humane Association were present on the set at that time. “The independent necropsy has confirmed that the horse died of cardiac failure,” the statement said.
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PETA Has Condemned The Tragic Death
The horse was one of the 30 on set supplied by an outfit called The Devil’s Horsemen. Reportedly, the horse showed no prior signs of ill health and was standing along with 20 other horses before its death.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the popular animal rights organization has condemned the death of that horse. Lisa Lange, the Senior Vice President of the organization slammed the production team.
“It seems that living underground with the orcs is par for the course for the producers of ‘The Rings of Power’ because they have the option to use CGI, mechanical rigs and other humane methods that wouldn’t run vulnerable horses to death on set,” she said.
She further said: “If they can’t avoid exploiting animals for their art, they should find a new medium, because no one wants to see a spinoff for TV with torment as the theme.”
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