Lights, Camera, Exploitation
Entertainment should never come at the expense of someone else's freedom or wellbeing, but animals in film, TV, and advertising in the UK are still widely treated as props rather than sentient individuals. Industry professionals themselves recognise that this is a problem, and it's time to hold them accountable.
A recent study gathered insights from 87 professionals, including handlers, production crews, and assistant directors, revealing an uncomfortable truth: despite broad support for higher standards, animals still suffer routinely behind the scenes.
Professionals working directly with animals are motivated to protect them, but good intentions don't always translate into good practice. Handlers and trainers regularly feel pressured to push animals beyond their comfort and safety limits. A common refrain? The dreaded “just one more take,” where animal fatigue is ignored to satisfy a director’s vision.
Time constraints and budgets drive these decisions, especially in live productions and low-budget shoots. Directors prioritise schedules over welfare, making last-minute demands without considering animals’ needs. The results are predictable and tragic: stressed animals, injuries, and even deaths.
Many production teams are disturbingly unaware of existing welfare laws and standards. Animal welfare tends to be reduced to the personal ethics of the handler or wrangler, leaving huge gaps in care. One assistant director admitted openly: "I know very little about the legal aspects or legislation involved."
Handlers are supposed to advocate for animals, yet some lack either the confidence or knowledge to do so. Worse still, handlers themselves can be part of the problem. One shocking incident involved tying fishing line to a bird's foot, leaving the animal dangling helplessly upside-down. Such incompetence goes unnoticed when industry accountability is weak or non-existent.
Live entertainment and constructed reality shows stand out as particularly exploitative. Professionals interviewed expressed significant concern about the unnatural conditions animals face, often forced into performing contrived behaviours rather than expressing their natural instincts. The viewing public might believe they're seeing animals simply "doing their thing," but behind the scenes lies coercion, confinement, and stress.
The research showed overwhelming support, 87%, for mandatory certification and accreditation of animal handlers and suppliers. Another 82% favoured independent, formal monitoring and welfare accountability on set. This would finally shift responsibility from casual self-regulation to structured oversight. An independent body with genuine animal welfare expertise, rather than industry insiders, is preferred to eliminate conflicts of interest.
Better welfare isn’t complicated, it needs clear guidelines, enforced standards, and genuinely knowledgeable oversight. The message is loud and clear: professionals want change, audiences want assurances, and animals urgently need protections.
It's time to end the casual exploitation hiding behind the bright lights of UK productions. We don't need animals to suffer for our entertainment.
No animal should ever be harmed, frightened, or forced for entertainment. The industry knows this, the public demands it, and justice for animals requires it. It's time for the entertainment industry to catch up.