PETA condemns the death of a horse on the set of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

A horse involved in the production of The Lord Of the Rings: The Rings Of Power died recently while filming the series in the UK. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the horse died on March 21 due to cardiac arrest.

Sharing the unfortunate news, Amazon Studios released a statement which read, “We are deeply saddened to confirm that a production horse has passed away. The incident occurred in the morning while the horse was training ahead of rehearsals. The trainer was not in costume and filming had not yet begun. A veterinarian and a representative of the American Humane Association were present at the time. The independent autopsy confirmed that the horse was dead. of heart failure.

The horse was one of around 30 on set that day, all supplied by respected outfitter The Devil’s Horsemen, which has provided horses for numerous shows including Game of Thrones.

Reportedly the first animal death to occur in the company’s 50-year history, the horse reportedly showed no previous health issues and stood among 20 other horses before dying.

Animal rights organization PETA condemned the horse’s death. The organized urged the studio to “stop dominating animals.”

“It seems like living underground with the orcs is normal for the producers of The Rings of Power because they have the ability to use CGI, mechanical rigs, and other humane methods that wouldn’t cause vulnerable horses to die on set,” Senior Vice President Lisa Lange said. “PETA is calling on the show’s creators – and all other producers – to embark on a new quest without using real horses. If they can’t avoid exploiting animals for their art, they should find a new medium, because no one wants to see a TV spin-off with torment as the theme.”

The Rings of Power has been shooting its second season for months in the UK and has announced that many new cast members will be joining the series. All eight episodes of the first season were released last spring and quickly became the streamer’s most-watched original series, racking up more than 24 billion streaming minutes.

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