How Life Of Pi tiger nearly drowned during filming after being dragged out of sea by a rope, and 27 creatures died during filming of The Hobbit: Shocking truth behind the 'no animals were harmed' certificate in movies

The tiger star in Life Of Pi almost drowned to death during filming, it was covered up by an overseer sleeping with a movie exec tied to the film

Dozens of marine animals washed ashore during the filming of Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl

More than two dozen animals died during a hiatus in filming for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

All films received American Humane Association approval

Animals may have been harmed during the filming of this production.

The American Humane Association (AHA) is charged with protecting animals during movie shoots, but a staggering new report out claims it puts more effort into covering up animal harm than preventing it.

Some of the biggest-name productions in Hollywood have seen animals die on-set or suffer near-death experiences but still received the ubiquitous AHA stamp of approval, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

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'Damn near drowned': King, the tiger star of 'Life of Pi,' is said to have almost drowned during filming according to an AHA monitor's report

Some of the more egregious incidents include dozens of marine animals washing ashore during the filming of a Pirates Of The Caribbean film, the deaths of 27 animals during the filming of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, and four horses dying during filming for HBO's Luck.



Not even the tiger star of Life Of Pi, who almost drowned, was safe from being covered up.

The tiger, known in the film as Richard Parker, was tasked with swimming to the side during a scene and became disoriented. A trainer had to lasso him with a rope and pull him to safety.

In an email obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, AHA monitor Gina Johnson allegedly wrote to a colleague: ‘I think this goes without saying but DON’T MENTION IT TO ANYONE, ESPECIALLY THE OFFICE! I have downplayed the f*** out of it.’

The award-winning box office smash still received the ‘No Animals Were Harmed’ credit familiar to all moviegoers.

Incredible: Four horses died during the filming of HBO's Luck

Four deaths: The four horses passed during the filming of only nine episodes

Several dozen marine animals, including fish and squid, washed ashore during the filming of Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl.

They died after uncontrolled explosions were set off in the water for special effects, a rep from the AHA present during filming told The Hollywood Reporter.

The AHA declined to comment regarding the allegation.

The more than two dozen animals that fell victim to The Hobbit included sheep and goats that died from dehydration, exhaustion or drowning during a filming hiatus.

The AHA cobbled together the following certification for the big-budget blockbuster saying it ‘monitored all of the significant animal action. No animals were harmed during such action.’

During the filming of Failure To Launch a squirrel was somehow crushed to death by the film crew.

Several dozen dead marine animals washed ashore during the filming of Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl

These allegations are seen as proof that the animal safety watchdog has a relaxed relationship with the film industry.

A former LA animal protection officer was quoted as saying: ‘It’s fascinating and ironic: From being the protectors of animals they’ve become complicit to animal cruelty.'

The now-retired agent said production staff at one film even once ‘told animal control to f*** themselves’ after agents were sent to investigate the deaths of two horses.

Even with the ability to issue citations and arrest production staff for harming animals, the crew of HBO’s horse racing drama Luck escaped unscathed despite four horses dying during production.

Lucky to be alive: A monkey perches on Bradley Cooper's shoulder during the filming of Failure To Launch

How did this happen: A squirrel similar to this one was crushed to death by the production crew of Failure To Launch

The AHA half-heartedly admitted that Ms Johnson’s objectivity might have been compromised because of her relationship with a Life Of Pi movie executive.

But the former animal control officer said: ‘This is worse than doing nothing. This is like a cop not just ignoring a crime but helping cover it up.’