Hi everyone,
Today we have a very special post for you! We got to interview Robin Ganzert of the American Humane Association.
The American Humane Association is dedicated to the welfare of animals and children. Since 1887 they have been at the forefront of protecting the most vulnerable members of our society.
What is more important the AHA is about to celebrate their 75th anniversary of the “No Animals were Harmed” campaign which I am sure is important to all of us movie lovers! It puts me much at ease to know that the animal stars are being looked after by the competent staff of the AHA. 🙂
As part of their 75th anniversary of this campaign the AHA is publishing their book Animal Stars by Robin Ganzert, PhD and Allen and Linda Anderson. The book gives us behind the scenes information on many of our favourite animal movie actors and their human companions.
Please find our interview with Robin Ganzert below:
For those of you that prefer a quick read of the key pointers of our interview please find the questions and answers below, however I would highly recommend to listen to the recording of our interview. 🙂
What inspired you and the other authors to write this book?
- To celebrate the 75 years campaign of no animals were harmed
- Share the wonderful moments of animals in movies with the public
- Give people an insight peek as to what really happens
Was there anything you particular enjoyed or disliked in regards to writing the book?
- Meeting the people that work with the animals, especially the animal trainers as well as the human stars and their animal star companions
- Finding out how some of the movie scenes were made and the hard work that was required by the staff to ensure animal safety
- The little rituals that certain animals had before they would do their part in the acting
What are the typical things the “no animals were harmed staff” on the movie sets are looking out for?
- Ensures that the entertainment industry complies with the procedures and regulations set out by the AHA
- Constantly evolving movie industry and adapting to the changes while ensuring animal safety
What are the most important skills for movie animal trainers?
- Compassion and respect for the animals
- Some of the animal stars in this book were actually rescue animals that required a lot of training and compassion. Often this has given these animals a second chance at life
What are the challenges the trainers and human film crews face when working with animals?
- To educate the entertainment industry on best practices
- Extend the work of the AHA staff to educate those areas of the entertainment industry that currently don’t have their staff present and show them why animal safety is important
Who is your favourite animal movie star!
- All of the stars in the book! However a personal favourite is Crystal who you can find on page 3 of the book
What would you recommend to those wishing to work with animals in movies?
- It is the right job if you have a passion for animals and want to ensure their safety.
- Compassion, love and respect are the most important skills
What do you enjoy the most about being part of the AHA?
- It is a calling to help those that can’t speak for themselves and an opportunity to help others
What is a fun fact about yourself?
- I have 3 cats & dogs and 4 horses!
We would like to thank Robin Ganzert for taking the time to let us interview her!
So what is our verdict about the AnimalStars book?
We love it! It brings a lot of insight into what happens on the film sets that we weren’t aware of. Who would have thought that some of the animal stars were rescued from shelters?
An don’t forget all those scenes that we just take for granted are only possible because of the hard work of animals and human companions working together and we are very glad to know that the AHA staff looks after the safety of our various animal friends. 🙂
If you would like to find out more about the Animal Stars book please click here.
The book is available through bookstores as well as Amazon and Barnes & Nobles. Even better if you purchase a copy and send proof of the purchase to jilln@americanhumane.org you will receive a free gift (Details of the gift available here.)
For more details about the AHA and their work please click here.
Thanks,
Marc
Happy to hear that animals are treated appropriately in movie making. I thought most of them are tortured with repeated scenes that they probably never want to except just because they are the money makers for the owners….
I really hope that all animals are happy doing their “jobs” from the beginning. And, thanks for sharing this recording. 🙂
Thank you :). And yes we had no idea either until we started looking into it ^^
Excellent interview Marc.
(((Shoko)))
Thank you Shoko!!! :). It was my first ever interviewing someone 😀 and so proud we got to interview her ^^
Wonderful and very successful interview, Marc! Congratulations on all of your many successes!! I am thrilled for you!
Thank you Sheryl 🙂
I really enjoyed reading this post. I think it’s brilliant to see that some of the animals were rescued and trained up in a loving and compassionate way and given a “second chance”. It’s so reassuring that there are people monitoring how these animal actors are treated, I’ve often wondered what measures are in place and worried about the animals welfare so this really puts my mind at rest.
Thank you for a really insightful interview, I would love to see more like this!
Thank you 😀
Hi Marc, For whatever reason the LINK to the actual INTERVIEW has disappeared. I no longer seem to have access. Would you please kindly send me the link to your ACTUAL INTERVIW again. I would love to see it again. Thanks so much!!
I sent it it to you 🙂
Looks like a great book. I’ll keep my eye out for it. Thank!
Thanks 🙂
Great article.. Thanks for posting
Thank you for checking out our post. 🙂