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PETA via Reuters, file
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals says a whistleblower took this photo of a shark in a California pool where a commercial was shot. The shark later died. The American Humane Association, which was on the set, could not confirm if the shark in the photo was the one that died.
The death of a shark that was flown from New York to Los Angeles to film a Kmart commercial is under investigation, but the American Humane Association is denying accusations the creature was mistreated.
The 5-foot white-tipped shark fell ill on March 6 after a film shoot in a 60,000-gallon pool, and oxygen and a shot of adrenaline failed to save its life, the association said in a statement.
"There was absolutely no abuse or neglect involved," said the association, which was on the set to monitor the animal's well-being.
The animal-rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals claimed two whistleblowers on the set -- one anonymous -- reported the shark's health was jeopardized while it was kept in a "small above-ground pool" in a Van Nuys, Calif., backyard.
PETA, which opposes the use of wild animals in ads, said human actors jumped in and out of the water, causing it stress. Julia Gallucci, an animal behavior specialist for the group, said the tipsters reported filming continued for an hour after the shark started to slow down and roll on its side.
The humane association flatly denied the charges.
"We were there. We did not allow any people in the pool with the shark," said Karen Rosa, senior adviser to the film and television unit.
She said the moment the shark showed signs of distress, it was treated. When it continued to struggle, the shark was sent to an aquatic animal specialist and died later that day.
Rosa said the association has enlisted an independent marine animal expert to investigate the shark's death because "this really troubled us."
In a statement, Kmart said it was "saddened" by the incident.
“We take this matter seriously and safety is always our paramount concern," said Howard Riefs, a spokesman for Sears Holdings, which owns Kmart.
"We have been advised by our agency that the production company responsible for this shoot worked with professional animal handlers and a representative of the American Humane Association for the purpose of monitoring the shark’s welfare."
It's unclear who owned the shark or why and exactly how it was shipped from one coast to the other. Critters of the Cinema -- which procured the shark for the production, according to PETA -- said it signed a confidentiality agreement and could not comment.
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I'm no rabid PETA supporter, but, flying a shark cross country for a K mart commercial? I'm also pretty sure that dolphins don't belong in Vegas. I guess you could say I don't believe in salt water dwelling sea creatures should ever be in venues that are miles inland. It is exploitation enough at a "Sea World" on a coast.
Or the fact that "flying" a shark 30,000 "above" sea level may of had something to do with it.
Sharks are also very sensitive to steel and to anything that is conductive through their extra sensory receptors on and around their snout.
What happens is when they are placed in a tank with metal objects around, they get confused and start to bump into objects possibly injuring themselves. This includes swimming straight into the side of the tank.
Also, with all the equipment around like the lights, cameras, electrical extension cords etc... Each time a voltage change happened within the electric feeds, such as switching equipment on and off, the shark could sense it, not humans.
This in turn would drain all the energy from the shark, sending it into shock. In nature, when an animal goes into shock, it dies 99% of the time. It's natures way of dying without pain.
Are you as concerned about cockroaches too? I also don't think animals should be mistreated, yet I have no problem stepping on a roach or a spider when I see one or killing fire ants in my back yard. I don't see PETA protesting outside of the Raid or Amdro fire ant killer factory. How about protesting Lowes or Home Depot for selling rat or mouse traps. Haven't seen them there either. Hypocrisy at its finest.
anilof,
does stupidity come natural to you or do you have to work at it?
It seems you have found your calling in life and you're at the top of your game
It is sad that they had to fly a shark across country for a commercial. Why didn't they just fly the crew to the shark? or better yet not have it in the commercial. And why aren't the child welfare people as diligent as the animal rights activists are?
Idiots.
CD - Your right and this why shark tanks are round and not made with 90 degree angles.
I'm with Beth on this one. Flying the crew over had to be logistically easier. In retrospect, certainly humanly so.
“We take this matter seriously and safety is always our paramount concern," said Howard Riefs, a spokesman for Sears Holdings, which owns Kmart.
As long as they got their damn commercial, who cares, right? If safety was their paramount concern, why the hell did they not just get a graphic artist to do a CGI shark? Too bad the shark couldn't have bit one of their arms off.
One thing is for damned certain. I'm not shopping at K-Mart for any reason.
Just one more reason among many that I don't buy from KMart any more.
It is pretty hard to see this as abuse when I am one of those people who likes shark grilled with lemon butter.
Wouldn't it be refreshing to see some of these "humane groups" be as concerned about 4 Americans killed in Benghazi as they are about a shark?
Not at all. Your facetiousness aside, death is death, in whatever form it takes. The Americans were in that place by choice; the shark was not.
I do not trust a single word that comes out of PETA! The American Humane Association has no reason to lie. PETA has every reason to. They will lie, cheat, or steal to push their radical agenda onto the American public. I tear up any flyer or mailer I receive from PETA. I do donate to the American Humane Association on a regular basis.
While I agree this is sad it is a fricking shark for god sake. If PETA worried as much about human suffering as much as they do animals human suffering would decrease by 50% or more
This shark had as much right to be in this world as we do. It had no say in whether it wanted to participate in this stupid commercial or not. Humans cause human suffering, as well as suffering for other creatures on this earth. We really haven't evolved at all since Roman times, when we gawked at animals and slaves thrown into a ring to kill each other for our amusement. I dislike selfish human beings more and more every day.
Amen Robbie - the human species has only progressed in the efficiency in which we kill each other. And all other living beings.
No live animals should be used in commercials or for any other kind of human "entertainment". Especially those that are extremely fragile.
We have a little thing called computer graphics these days that can be utilized so that live animals are left alone.
Shut up, Robbie. I dislike idiots like you more and more everyday. Weep for wild animals, but never say or do anything about human suffering. Maybe you can take the shark's place...
Robbie So how does a shark say yes and no? Please tells us we would love to know, you speak shark, how many other animal languages do you speak?
How do your know animals have any rights to be on this planet at all God tell you that?
Your time has PETA out animal.
The shark never had a choice and most certainly couldn't speak up for itself. Big difference.
Just a "frickin shark" eh? Did you know that shark populations are down around the planet as a result of finning/over fishing? Did you know that sharks are an integral part of a healthy ocean?
There are organizations that focus on human suffering. Why should any organization formed for a particular purpose focus on another unrelated purpose? Should other unrelated organizations also care about human suffering?
Think how much human suffering would decrease if the Chamber of Commerce, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the Knitting Guild Association all focused on human suffering instead of the reason their groups were formed.
Mean Girl, Who said the shark wants PETA to speak for it. May it committed suicide and in it's culture suicide is allowed. Plese don't jump the shark.
I hope the had a grill out once the shark died, shark is good and no use wasting a fresh dead shark
It was a bad idea in the first place and I'm not surprised it died. Joe, how do you know how each poster here and each person on the planet feels about human suffering anyway? You know, humans really are capable of doing both..guess that never occurred to you, though. The article wasn't about people...well, except their stupidity...it was about a shark. How do you know that Robbie and anyone else doesn't already volunteer to ease human suffering? You don't...you assumed and made up whatever suited your point.
PETA is the number one euthanization group of shelter animals in the United States. They euthanize more shelter animals than all SPCA's or HSUS's . They are fine ones to talk about animal cruelty.
I find it interesting that people will scream over the "rights" of this shark and talk about it having "as much right to live as we do", but not cry for the fish that this shark has been fed it's entire life. Do those fish not also have the right to live? Were they asked, "Hey fish, would you like to be dinner for a shark?" and they replied "yes"? Or do people think this shark has been living on crackers and cheese?
Now, I am not suggesting that it is a "good idea" to transport a shark from one side of the country to the other. Seems to me that the hardest and most costly thing to transport cross-country for a commercial would be the shark, and it probably would have been better to fly the people and cameras to NY instead, but that does not constitute "cruelty to animals". It's a sad event, it probably could have been avoided if they just left the shark in NY, but the fact remains that there is no evidence that the people involved actually did anything wrong. They didn't abuse the animal. They didn't mistreat the animal. They had an organization, onsite, with the same objectives and concerns as PETA, who said that every action was taken to ensure the safety of the animal. PETA was not there, and their informant won't identify themselves. PETA lost credibility with me when they started pelting people with chicken guts while protesting KFC, so if PETA is givng one story (with no evidence, an anonymous source and while not actually being onsite) and the American Humane Society is giving me a different story (while being onsite), there is no way in hell I am believing PETA. Give me some evidence and maybe I will change my mind, but until then, I am just going to feel bad for the shark.
That's the END of MY shopping at K-MART!!!!!!!!!!
My understanding is sharks are notoriously difficult to keep alive in captivity. They often die for unclear reasons, and ones who survive rarely produce viable pups. Someone should at least be asking why then transporting one across country was thought such a great idea. Not a fan of rabid animal fanatics, or sharks either, really, but neglecting animals to make a few ad bucks can't be good for the soul/karma/morality/ethics/PR (your pick).
Sully, dead on. Thank you.
Erm, dead totally a bad choice of words. :(
Who jumped the shark?
Kmart did. Years ago.
Peta just sucks...and the Humane society is so wrong on this also...Shamefull...
Ignorant people suck.
Don't be so hard on yourself Starderup...
DocC - did you know that the white tipped shark is an endangered species? Do you know what happens in an ecosystem when the top line predators are gone? Or are you so humna centric that you dont realize that was we wipe out the animals in the enviornment and end up only with farm raised animals - chock full of antibiotics and hormones to make them profitable that we then end up with things like Mad Cow (unnatural feed for cattle to fatten them up quicker), antibiotic resistant bacteria that could ultimately kill us, etc.
Heck its just a shark. And your contention that human suffering would be reduced BS - you want to reduce human suffering - lets start by getting religion out of politics in all countries, lets stop wasting food so Americans can have cheaper gas, lets find alternatives to fossil fuels, lets hold banks ad business leaders accountable for their corruption, than maybe human suffering would be reduced.
Bravo, Holly! Well said!
Well said Holly!!!!
Hollkkb, another species comes along to take it's place, evolution. We my not like the out come, it my distroy US, but that is what WILL happen.
I' am sorry Hollykb for the miss spelling!
Umm, bubba, perhaps you don't understand how ecosystems work and what will happen if careless humans destroy the creatures around us. That is how we destroy ourselves. This is about how humans are affecting the world about us, not evolution. We are decimating species and all species have a place and a value whether we like them or not. I think roaches are gross, but I have to admit that within certain limits they provide food for many other species. I'm not going to let them crawl on my counters if I can help it, but I'm not going to go try to eradicate every single roach in the world, either.
There is a balance, and when we get greedy and careless and kill off so many species that would thrive if it weren't for us, we throw off that balance...it will come back to bite us as well.
Holly, did you know that over 95% of all the species that have lived on earth are extinct?
I believe the last time it happened, mammals gained ascendancy.
Meanwhile, thousands of sharks a day are stripped of all their fins and thrown back into the ocean to slowly die horrible deaths so Asian countries can eat their fins as an aphrodisiac.
And that is horrible as well...just horrible.
If the shark in the photo was the one that died, I would blame PETA. Obviously the shark died as a result of the photo--this is just as logical as any reason from reading that article.
No, it isn't...did you read the article at all? Flown across the country?
Amazing that there is a probe for a shark's death, but no probe into the destruction of our environment by chemical and petroleum companies. Money talks...BS walks, I guess.
Humans are self-indulging idiots. Period.
Speak for yourself man! ;-)
Yes; and let's please leave "periods" out of it.
ga lafalot,
Are you saying humans with periods are self-indulging idiots?
GE Bill,
You may have your finger in something here. I thought a . was all we needed, and now we have a bloody mess! And is the ; a period with strings attached?
Sirlafalot,
In this age of television and smart phones, few men are well red. Fewer still have unplugged their minds enough to master the art of paronomasia. Such people, among whom you are numbered, may only come along once a month. In recognition of this, the grateful kingdom awards you the title of Pun Master (Special). You may wear this award at formal occasions, and also display it to those illiterate knaves who wish you to "put a tamp on it."
Am I going to believe an anonymous whistle-blower or the American Humane Association who was also onsite? I could maybe side with PETA and the whistle-blower if I felt that keeping a shark in an "above ground pool" or getting in and out of water was somehow cruel to animals, but I don't. Not to mention that only one ANONYMOUS person claims to have seen anyone getting in and out of the pool. I'm sorry, but they aren't ratting out the Mexican Drug Cartel. The American Humane Society is not going to come after you. You want some credibility, then identify yourself to prove that you were even at the location.
Let's just hope this gets nipped in the bud quickly. If it goes on too long, PETA supporters are likely to get a bunch of white-tipped sharks, chop them up, and start throwing them on customers as they leave Kmart.
Gee, sure hope that product sells well.
Humans are twisted.
RIP lil buddy -- you will be missed.
HaHa. Sounds like you'd finally gotten him trained to roll over;-)
It was the Chinesse
I hope they were able to use the meat.
*L* PETA? They're idiots!
Humane? A shark is a goddamn fish, studies have shown that fish don't feel what we associate with pain. How many of you ate fish today? Was your Long John Silver's fish fillet humanely dispatched?
Get some perspective. This is why PETA is such a butt of jokes.
No everyone does eat fish, actually. And you have no idea if the shark felt pain or not. Heck, doesn't seem that many humans do, but we are theoretically supposed to treat them well. Oh wait...some feel their own pain but no one else's.
Doesn't sound to me like you have read recent research showing very clearly that fish do feel pain much like mammals do. How convenient for you though, to believe that only humans feel pain, or that only human pain is worth caring about.
Obama is wanting rights to bomb Americans in the USA without court rulings, N Korea is poised to strike the south Koreans, Iran in less than a year from a nuke (so obama says) Children die from starvation daily and some clown cares to probe a sharks death. WHO THE F CARES. Fillet it and fry the stupid shark we have greater concerns atm.
You are worrying about all that when an asteroid could fall on you at any moment!? You should get your priorities straight.
Thanks Jeremy. I was wondering how long before some idiot mentioned Obama in an article about a shark. Idiot!
I hope they had a grill out after, because shark is tasty and no use wasting a fresh fish
Sounds to me like the AHA is to blame. I don't think most consider them very credible stewards of animal welfare, and if they consider flying a shark coast-to-coast acceptable, they should be investigated themselves. I am pretty sure they were the ones overseeing the production of "Luck" too--the series in which three horses died while filming before the series itself was canceled because of it.
PETA: People Eating Tasty Animals!!
One less shark attach and years of medical therapy for some unknown person. Good riddance. Reef sharks are a dime a dozen no reason to lose any sleep.
Why didn't they just use CGI? This is a TV commercial, not Avatar II. Do you really think someone would not want to buy a product at Kmart because the shark in a commercial is not real? The cost of flying the shark across the country, having the humane society on set and all other costs of ensuring its safety has got to be roughly the same as mid quality CGI, which would be more than good enough for a TV commercial.
So you can catch a shark in the ocean, keep it, eat it, but you can't put them on Tee Vee? Oh PETA, you terrorists...