PETA is sick to its stomach over reports that a monkey repeatedly puked on the set of “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.” And now they’re calling on producer Jerry Bruckheimer to not use wild animals in future productions.
The animal-rights organization said Friday that it had reached out to Bruckheimer with the request, after previously warning that monkeys “would suffer” on the Australian set of the film.
“On the heels of reports that a capuchin monkey repeatedly projectile vomited on the Australian set of ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales’ — after a monkey bit a makeup artist in a previous on-set incident — PETA sent a letter today urging producer Jerry Bruckheimer to pledge not to use monkeys or other wild animals in future productions,” the organization said in a statement.
PETA added that it had issued a warning about using the monkeys early in the film’s production, calling on producers to use computer-generated imagery rather than live capuchins.
According to PETA, the capuchins’ “complex physical and psychological needs can’t be met on any film set or in a training compound. PETA also warned that capuchins would suffer if shipped to Australia for filming and that animal supplier Joe Suffredini of Avian Entertainment has a long history of violating the federal Animal Welfare Act. Some of his U.S. Department of Agriculture citations are for having filthy and inadequate enclosures, failing to supply adequate environmental enrichment, and not having an adequate program of veterinary care.”
PETA senior vice president Colleen O’Brien added, “Dead men may tell no tales, but reports of capuchins vomiting uncontrollably and biting a makeup artist on the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ set speak for themselves. PETA is calling on the film’s producers to wise up, join the modern age of computer-generated imagery, and stop forcing sensitive wild animals to perform on camera.”
TheWrap has reached out to Bruckheimer’s spokeswoman for comment.