Shocking footage has emerged of elephants being beaten and shocked with stun guns to make them perform for shows including US sci-fi drama Westworld.

The wild animals can be heard crying out as they are forced into crippling positions – including being made to perform handstands on a small metal plinth.

The shocking scenes were captured as part of an eight-week undercover investigation by campaign group Animal Defenders International (ADI).

It revealed the elephants were being trained to perform in movies including Water for Elephants and Zookeeper as well as Britney Spears’ circus music video.

ADI has now called on HDO, the makers of Sky Atlantic’s Westworld to stop using elephants for entertainment purposes, branding the treatment as brutal.

One of the elephants featured in the latest episode is a 51-year-old female called Tai.

She is shown in the previously captured footage crying out as she is shocked with a stun gun to do the very tricks seen on screen.

ADI President Jan Creamer said: “With no way to guarantee the welfare of the animals off set, we urge HBO and other studios to end their use of live animals.

“There is no excuse for using the real thing when technology provides a realistic, humane alternative.”

Other brutal behind-the-scenes training techniques used on the animals are being beaten with bull hooks and being hit over the head and dragged by the trunk.

Other elephants were also filmed while chained by the legs barely able to take one step back and forward for up to 12 hours a day.