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“No animal should ever be killed or injured for the purposes of a film,” it stated. “Therefore, we are categorically denying The Solutrean our certification.”

The production purchased the animals for the scene in question from Longview Beef Jerky, which processed the buffalo for the movie in the way the production company wanted, according to John Scott, the animal wrangler employed on the film.

He said one of the bison used had a broken shoulder while another had a broken ankle. A third was already dead, while the other two were destined for a meat processing plant.

“If it was beef cattle, would anybody say anything? If it was deer, if it was elk? I mean, the beef jerky store, they process animals all the time,” Scott said. “These were animals designed for slaughter and instead of going in the food chain they went over to the movie chain. That’s the only difference.”

Scott has been working with animals in the film industry for years and his work has appeared in other big-budget films shot in Alberta, including Legends of the Fall and The Revenant.

“I’m also in the business of raising buffalo and cattle. Some of my buffalo go for meat and some of them go for breeding stock. It should be really a non-issue if a processing company wants to process some animals and they do it right and they do it humanely,” Scott said. “PETA doesn’t like animals in anything . . . They’re trying to ruin every animal that is in the film business.”

In a statement, PETA’s senior vice-president, Lisa Lange, said moviegoers should boycott Alpha.

“Five sensitive bison lost their lives, all so that their bodies could be used as props in this wholly forgettable flick,” Lange said.

Scott said a boycott would do a disservice to those behind the film.

“I really feel sorry for the company because they’ve got $80 million invested in it and PETA does not have the right facts,” he said. “It’s a great family picture, it’s a great story. You have some pretty good scenery from Alberta.”

shudes@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/SammyHudes