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THE 4,100kg co-star of the new Reese Witherspoon drama Water for Elephants was allegedly abused by its trainers, say a group that is urging a boycott of the movie.
Animal Defenders International has released an undercover video from 2005 showing an elephant, which it identifies as the same one that appeared in the movie, apparently being beaten with hooks and shocked with stun guns.
The video-clip contains a sequence of brief scenes backed by mournful music. In one scene, an elephant makes a loud noise while performing a headstand as a trainer appears to deliver an electric shock.
The ranch where the clip was filmed is owned by the firm Have Trunk Will Travel, which strongly denied the allegations in an statement, describing Animal Defenders as an 'extremist group' with 'a history of using less than honest means to achieve their goals'.
The film's makers and stars denied any knowledge of animal cruelty and stressed that no animals were harmed during production.
