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At Cinecittà Studios in Rome, a giraffe and an elephant were recently caught on camera fleeing, seemingly terrified, from a studio building. An Instagram video shows the chaos as they run away.

 

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The animals—who reportedly had been supplied by a circus—apparently bolted after being startled by music used for a scene. Thankfully, they weren’t injured—but why in the world were they there to begin with?

What Were a Giraffe and an Elephant Doing at Cinecittà Studios?

Soundstages, with their glaring lights and booming speakers, are a far cry from animals’ natural environments. No amount of preparation can help them understand what’s going on.

In nature, giraffes and elephants instinctively avoid interactions with humans, yet the entertainment industry thrusts them into direct contact with film crews, separates animals from their families, and forces them to perform difficult and confusing tricks.

Wild animals can be unpredictable because they’re exactly that—wild. No amount of training can ever completely override their instincts, and a film set is not a natural place for these sensitive individuals. The best way to keep our fellow animals and the public safe is to stop using live animals in productions altogether.

Following this incident at Cinecittà Studios, the production reportedly cut the use of live animals from the project—but they shouldn’t have been there in the first place.

Live Animals Always Suffer on Sets

For animals exploited for film and television, the suffering often begins in infancy, when they’re torn away from their mothers as babies. Trainers often abuse them so that under the threat of violence, they’ll perform on cue. As they grow older and become less valuable to trainers, they’re often abandoned at seedy roadside zoos and other crummy facilities. These nightmarish places typically neglect animals, deprive them of food and veterinary care, and confine them to tiny cages so that humans can gawk at them.

The Cinecittà Studios incident is just the latest example of why speciesism has no place in the entertainment industry. Our fellow animals have their own needs and interests—they don’t belong in film or television productions. Today’s advances in special effects make it easier than ever to create lifelike animals on screen without exploiting real ones.

Report the Use of Animals for Entertainment

If you see something on TV, in a movie, on a set, or at a training facility, please report it to PETA right away—animals need your help. You can also contact our confidential whistleblower hotline at 323-210-2233 or send a message to AFTV@peta.org. Requests for anonymity will be respected.

Our efforts to protect animals used in the entertainment industry would not succeed without the help of compassionate witnesses.

Because of the threat of getting caught in discarded fishing gear or cruel bird deterrent systems, gulls have enough to deal with as it is—the last thing these sensitive birds need is beachgoers who harass them for video content.

Videos showing humans forcibly grabbing gulls, who desperately struggle to escape, have recently been sweeping TikTok—and it’s time to end this callous content.

Some videos show humans luring gulls with food and then grabbing them as they attempt to fly away.

Gulls face numerous hazards due to human activities—we should be helping them, not tormenting them. We can protect these birds by using stickers to prevent window collisions, by not fishing—as gulls, along with many other animals, can become entangled in discarded fishing gear—by cleaning up trash left on the beach, and by not feeding gulls food scraps, which can make them sick and desensitize them to potentially dangerous interactions with humans.

Although gulls may occasionally approach beachgoers for food, they do not otherwise want to interact with or be touched, grabbed, or chased by humans. These activities aren’t just cruel to gulls, who have their own interests and feelings, but also may violate wildlife protection laws.

Don’t Harass Gulls—Help Them

Gulls are resourceful in adapting to new situations and learning new types of behavior. They also mate for life and are devoted parents. Like all our fellow animals, they deserve to be treated with compassion and respect.

Don’t participate in “seagull catching” videos, and be sure to report any videos you see of humans harassing gulls, to send a message that cruelty isn’t content. Show respect to gulls by leaving them in peace, and call your local animal control service if you see one who’s injured or in danger.

Nobody was prepared for the carnage in Barcelona on July 31: Dead, injured, and maimed pigs were left strewn along the AP-7 highway after the transport truck carrying them crashed at high speed. Wounded and bloodied survivors were filmed dragging themselves along the road, confused and desperate for escape.

The transport truck caught fire, and the highway was shut down as emergency crews scrambled to make sense of the chaos. Although Barcelona may have moved on, we must remember the victims of this crash, who endured needless trauma because humans treated them as objects.

 

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Barcelona’s Wreck Wasn’t Unusual

Crashes involving animal-transport vehicles aren’t rare: In 2023, over 30 such wrecks, most often with fatal consequences, have been reported so far in the U.S. alone, and the actual number is likely much higher. In the wake of this horrific disaster, PETA U.K. is requesting that a roadside memorial be erected in remembrance of the many victims. The tribute would feature an image of a pig next to the words “In memory of the pigs who suffered and died in a truck accident at this spot. … Try vegan.”

The call to go vegan comes as a practical suggestion that would help everyone. Each person who goes vegan helps prevent other animals from meeting a similar fate. The pigs involved in this crash—intelligent, sentient individuals who deserved rights and consideration—were being transported just to feed human cravings for their flesh. They were packed into a hellish transport truck with no regard for their safety in the event of an accident. And before that, they endured abuse and exploitation at the hands of workers who confined them to cramped pens and deprived them of everything that was important and meaningful to them.

Hold the Suffering—Go Vegan!

By leaving animals’ flesh off our plates, we can spare them the horrors of transport (estimated to kill 20 million farmed animals every year in the U.S.) and the misery they’re forced to endure on farms before they ever see a carrier truck. A single person can save nearly 200 animals a year just by going vegan.

If you’re interested in going vegan, you’re not alone. PETA’s got your back with our free vegan starter kit packed with recipes and vital tips, from eating out to health information:

When Margot Robbie’s Barbie and Ryan Gosling’s Ken leave Barbieland for the real world in their upcoming movie, they’ll have a lot more to think about than just their own mortal fates. If the pair witness how wickedly humans choose to treat our fellow animals in laboratories, on factory farms, in the clothing business, and in countless other settings, they’ll get the chills.

Far from plastic and fantastic, things that are made of bits and pieces of animals or tested on them come by way of their torment and suffering. Animals are used to make shoes, purses, meals, and even lifestyle accessories chosen to match an outfit, as if they didn’t have any feeling at all.

We believe that if Barbie and Ken find out about the work PETA does in their adventure, they’ll be on board as enthusiastic supporters of animal rights. So we’re releasing a trio of unofficial, Barbie-compatible packs so your Barbie and Ken dolls can take part in animal-saving action.

Make Your Barbie Turn Heads as a ‘Lettuce Lady’

Give your Barbies the chance to break the mold with a certified PETA original: our iconic leafy “Lettuce Lady” dress. With a lollipop sign reading, “Go Vegan,” Barbie can live the legacy of our vegan ambassadors who have traveled the globe, including to Cuba and Turkey, to spread awareness of the many benefits of a plant-based lifestyle.

Of course, this kit equips your Barbie with her own miniature vegan starter kit, which she can use to help others turn over a new leaf in life.

Ken Goes Fishing … for Trash

If you’re not content with your doll being “just Ken,” our “trash fishing” kit enables him to pursue a fish-friendly calling. Complete with a “Fish Are Friends, Not Food” tee, a trash grabber, and, of course, some trash to catch, our kit will get Ken all set to clean his local waterways of harmful litter that hurts and kills fish. This kind of fishing sure beats putting holes in fish’s sensitive lips and suffocating them.

Be sure to snag PETA’s human-size Trash Fishing Provisions Kit and photograph yourself doing the good deed with your kitted-out Ken.

Barbie Converts to the Sanctuary Life

“If you’ve already got the facilities, why not use them for good?” That’s the question we’re asking all farm owners, who can change the lives of many animals by opening a sanctuary. Now Barbie can get in on that compassionate action with our new sanctuary accessory kit, which converts existing farm playsets into fully fledged animal sanctuaries, where animals can live in peace and won’t be exploited for human purposes.

The conversion kit includes a shirt with PETA’s classic “Not a Nugget” print and a sign designating the farm as a sanctuary.

Support Animals—in Work and Play

We’re hoping Barbie and Ken run into a PETA demonstration during their adventures—we know they’d take up the cause of animal liberation for life. If you think a career in animal defense is right for you, we’re hiring! Check out PETA’s open positions and bag yourself a career that makes a difference for animals everywhere.

Note: BARBIE and KEN are registered trademarks of Mattel Inc., which is not affiliated or connected with and does not necessarily approve of, endorse, sponsor, or otherwise support PETA or PETA’s unofficial doll accessories.