General News  PETA bosses not happy with Jackson's response to
The Hobbit animal deaths  Nov 21, 2012 | 4:00am EST  PETA
officials wrote to the moviemaker for an explanation after
animal wranglers on the set in New Zealand went public with
allegations suggesting poor conditions and the incompetence of
trainers led to several of the animal deaths.  Jackson and his
producers responded on Monday (19Nov12), insisting they went to
great lengths to make sure the animals used in the film were
safe at all times during filming - but the activists have
accused the moviemakers of dodging the issue of what went on
between takes on a farm where the creatures were housed.  PETA
media officer Wendy Wegner tells WENN, "Five whistleblowers
reported more than two dozen animal deaths during the production
of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. They raised concerns not
just once but repeatedly to both the head wrangler and the head
of production about the unsafe housing conditions for animals
and about Shanghai the horse, who was