PETA tells Ridley Scott to stop use of live animals on Gladiator 2 set in Malta

The animal rights organisation PETA has written to Hollywood director Ridley Scott to stop the use of live animals on the set of ‘Gladiator 2’ in Malta, due to soaring heat.

Despite the SAG-AFTRA strike, PETA said it was informed the production plans to continue Tuesday through Saturday next week.

Together with Maltese NGO Animal Liberation Malta, it urged Scott to immediately cancel plans to use real animals for the film.

According to the letter to Scott, a whistleblower reported that a horse’s leg gave out on set, presumably due to the heat, with concerns that the horses, which are in costume, were being exposed to hot temperatures and even forced to stand in direct sunlight during and between takes.

“Scorching summer heat and oppressive costumes are a dangerous mix for horses, who are naturally skittish animals, prone to flight and injury, and vulnerable to the stresses of a film set,” PETA associate director for animals in film, Lauren Thomasson.

“The film and TV industries have a past riddled with on-set horse injuries and even deaths. We sincerely hope Gladiator 2 avoids adding another death to that list.”

The two NGOs also said that another animal species, macaques, could be unpredictable and that it was within a monkey’s nature to solve problems with aggression. “So they can and will attack and bite humans. Their teeth are sharp, their jaws are strong, and their bites are often severe. Macaques commonly carry the herpes B virus, which can be deadly to humans, so keeping them in the vicinity of humans results in public health risks as well.”

In addition to the lead stars  Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, and Paul Mescal, others like Connie Nielsen, Djimon Hounsou, Lior Raz, Joseph Quinn, Derek Jacobi, Matt Lucas, Peter Mensah, Mike Parish, and Chi Lewis-Parry were implored by PETA to relay the organisation’s concerns.