Paramount Network has responded to PETA's demand for the new TV series to cut a scene allegedly involving real decomposing cows' bodies, insisting it takes animal safety very seriously.
- Oct 11, 2018
AceShowbiz - Animal activists at PETA are calling on fans of Kevin Costner's new TV series to demand action from producers, following claims that cows were killed for scenes in the western.
PETA bosses have urged the producers of "Yellowstone" to cut footage featuring dead cattle and pledge to use computer generated imagery and props in all future shoots after concerned crew members contacted the animal rights group with gory details from behind the scenes.
One whistle blower alleged real decomposing cows' bodies were used on the set, and claimed the hindquarters and necks on some cattle had been "hacked apart."
A PETA spokesperson says, "The source said that concerns from crew members who questioned why fake cows weren't being used instead were essentially shrugged off. Additionally, PETA was told that the crew wasn't notified of plans to bring animal corpses onto the set and that they complained that the gore and stench was so bad that it was almost impossible to wash it off their bodies."
"The slaughterhouse industry is a violent and cruel one, and to use the bodies of animals who were subjected to that cruelty for a TV stunt is not only disrespectful but also extremely wasteful," says PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange. "PETA is calling on Kevin Costner and the producers of 'Yellowstone' to come clean about how and from where the animals were purchased, cut the gruesome scenes, and pledge to use only props and other cruelty-free alternatives in the future."
BREAKING: Horrific! A whistleblower reported cows' bodies appeared to be HACKED APART & LEFT TO ROT on the set of Kevin Costner's @yellowstone_tv 😡
— PETA 🐾 (@peta) 10 October 2018
PETA is calling for the producers to cut scenes & pledge to use CGI & props in all future productions. https://t.co/6c9RuiIbWCpic.twitter.com/MtGHebbUD1
Kurt Patat, the senior vice president of communications for Paramount Network, insists the PETA claims are false.
A statement from him reads: "Paramount Network takes animal safety very seriously and with utmost professionalism. The production has taken necessary precautions to provide for animal safety and their well-being on set."
"All animals are monitored on set by professional handlers. We have been in touch with PETA, which presented us with inaccurate claims that we were able to correct including no cows were killed or mutilated for the scene in question."
