Middle-earth harmful, as 27 animals allegedly die on 'Hobbit' set

When you go see "The Hobbit" movie, you'll see that "No animals were harmed during filming" disclaimer during the credits, but according to animal wranglers who worked on the set, 27 animals died when the cameras weren't rolling. The animals, including horses, goats, sheep and chickens, reportedly died as a result of being kept on an "unsafe" farm near the New Zealand set of the movie, a landscape that was riddled with streams, hills, sinkholes and other "death traps." A spokesman for director Peter Jackson said the animals' deaths were due to natural causes, a claim that the wranglers dispute. Two wranglers, Chris and Lynn Langridge, both quit working on the film due to the conditions. [Source]

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