6 Animal Film Stars With Tragic Histories

Potterites associate owls like Hedwig with Hogwarts admissions letters or fun mail from faraway relatives, but PETA' s recent owl-related documents are less than spellbinding.

PETA filed a swift complaint with the USDA upon discovering the ill treatment of an owl used in several Harry Potter movies and other animal actors at a top training facility in California. In their 2017 investigation, PETA found deplorable living conditions on the Birds & Animals Unlimited grounds. Trained Harry Potter owl Crash was kept in an unclean enclosure strewn with faeces for six weeks. Other horrifying details in the report included a kangaroo with a broken jaw, a pig with bloody lesions, and an alarming amount of undernourished dogs and cats.

Crash shared quarters with many abused animals who were denied proper veterinary care and basic necessities. As a bird of prey, activists insisted that BAU was preventing Crash from flourishing in an environment that provided "socialization and sensory stimulation." They located a lame dove that died without treatment in close proximity to Crash's cage.

The leading Hollywood shelter for animals remains open even with the ongoing investigation. BAU claims PETA's report is "misleading" and maintains their innocence even in the wake of disturbing images published by The Hollywood Reporter. Whatever the court's decision, Crash's gloomy past echoes the dim backstory of the boy who lived in the cupboard.