Robert Pattinson’s affection for Tai the elephant added a touching element to his new movie “Water for Elephants,” But the gentle pachyderm may have gone through torture, including electric shock, to learn the tricks she performed in the movie.
Animal rights group Animal Defenders International (ADI), released a secretly taped video, showing the elephant getting electric shocks with a hand-held stun gun and being beaten with a bull hook while training to perform tricks.
The elephant reportedly can be heard crying out in pain when she is shocked to make her perform a headstand.
Check out Outtakes of Rob and Tai the Elephant
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Trainers are also shown sawing off the tusks of an elephant, while a baby is dragged around by its trunk.
Yet another elephant is shown being hooked through the lip.
Ironically, Rob played a young veterinarian student who joins a Depression-era circus headed by a cruel animal trainer (Christoph Waltz) who uses brutish means to get the animals to perform tricks.
Reese Witherspoon plays the trainer’s wife. She also has a way animals, and Rob’s character Jacob falls in love with her.
The animal rights group claims abusive real-life trainers pictured in the video also worked with Tai on the movie set.
“I believe that Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson will be horrified to learn what Tai went through,” said the group’s head Jan Creamer.
She claimed the public and the stars have been duped to believe the animals were treated humanely, according to London’s Daily Mail.
“As this video shows, the reality is that this elephant was taught the tricks seen in the film by being given electric shocks.
“Animal suffering is never romantic and it is never entertainment,” she added,
The video was reportedly shot in 2005, well before the movie, at the Have Trunk Will Travel training complex where the elephants were trained.
The company co-founder, Gary Johnson, has repeatedly claimed no animal was abused in the making of “Water for Elephants,” nor were electric shocks used.
Movie star electric shocked from Animal Defenders on Vimeo.
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[...] Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson will be horrified to learn what Tai went through,” said ADI’s Jan [...]
This is absolutely disgusting. These elephants need to be rescued immediately. It never fails to surprise me how cruel certain human beings can be.
I was initially excited to see WFE & couldn’t wait for the premiere, expecially being a huge Rob Pattinson fan. I’m also an animal lover & abhore animal cruelty – especially for entertainment purposes. I will now not be going to see WFE – sorry Rob xxx
I find it very odd this group of extreme animal activists have just now decided to release the video. They’ve had it for five years so why didn’t they release it earlier? why don’t we see the whole video instead of cut up scenes? Why didn’t they come forward before the movie was filmed? And finally, this group’s decision to attack fansites and fans of Water For Elephants proves they are only after publicity.
The Movie WFE was not hidden from the public eye starting from production date to release date. We can’t say this about this 2005 video’s sudden suspicious discovery. What would be the motive for not revealing Tai being abused on this video until now ? Perhaps for a larger audience ? If that is the case then Tai is being “used” to perform on more than one stage.
It makes one wonder what other animals will have to achieve mega stardom in order to be rescued.
God-Speed Tai, I am sure if this is true Rob, Reese and Waltz will seek additional information regarding this matter. They all are very fond of Tai.