American Humane Ensures Animal Safety On-Set

While filming a scene on the set of James Mangold’s 3:10 to Yuma last fall, in Diablo Canyon near Santa Fe, New Mexico, a horse collided with an “ultimate arm” camera car, bringing extreme harm to itself and its rider, a professional stuntman. The accident landed the rider in the hospital in critical condition and the horse ultimately had to be put down.

This is where the American Humane Film & Television Unit steps in.

“During any stunt, the risk is that if the animal does not respond to the trainer, the potential is there for accidental harm, which is why it’s important to have American Humane on set,” says Jone Bouman, head of communications at American Humane. “Productions need to work closely with the trainer, crew members and with American Humane to ensure safety.”

American Humane has been protecting the rights of animals on movie sets since 1940. The association is responsible for making sure incidents like the 3:10 to Yuma accident don’t happen on a regular basis. Representatives from the association fly out to movie sets all over the country to observe and act as witnesses to make that no animals are harmed. American Humane currently has more than 35 employees who come from a variety of backgrounds, including former veterinarians and animal behaviorists. But, with the increasing use of such devices as “ultimate arm” cameras on sets, the challenge of ensuring safety for animals is that much harder.

These specialized cameras were specifically created for perilous situations like high-speed car chases, racetrack scenes and, yes, scampering up the mountains of New Mexico. The device itself is a crane attached to a car going at a speed of over 100 miles per hour and can swing all the way around the car in about five seconds.

“After the accident on 3:10 to Yuma, American Humane responded by forming a team of humane officers and investigators for the purpose of updating equine safety guidelines,” says Bouman. “Any accident is very carefully reviewed to better inform and better update American Humane safety guidelines.”

For more information on American Humane, visit www.americanhumane.org.