American Humane: No animals harmed in the making of 'Water for Elephants'

Water for Elephants, the recently released movie starring Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon, may depict disturbing scenes of animal abuse, but the American Humane Association states that no animals of any species were harmed during the making of the film.

Pattinson, who plays the lead role in the film, says that the American Humane Association was, "even looking after the maggots."

As the abuse scenes took place, the elephant actress, Tai the Elephant, had to deal with the other actors yelling loudly and swinging weapons around.

Gina Johnson, a representative for the American Humane Association, assures that Tai was trained to be around loud noise, and was given loving pets and marshmallows as a prize for every scene.

"They are very conscious of how the animals are treated," said Witherspoon. "They're on set every day, making sure the animals were provided safe facilities and safe transportation and that they can only work a certain amount of hours. They are just the happiest animals — you can tell!"

Julia
Julia is a student who has a passion for veganism, animal welfare, and religious studies.

Photo credit: Screen Capture