When animal rights activists, like PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), go about making their voices known through the big screen, it is not just via petitions or quiet talks with film artists. Sometimes, their protests take center stage with dramatic flair. For years, PETA has been at the center of spotlighting the animal cruelty side of the entertainment world. 

Rumors are swirling about PETA's plans to protest Robert Eggers' Nosferatu.  PETA is reportedly concerned with how the film might demonize rats, with the belief that they were the sole cause of the bubonic plague. The protest group may even come with a rat mascot holding signs to defend the misunderstood rodents. That is to say, in light of this, Nosferatu is hardly the first film or television show to have faced PETA's passionate—and often creative—protests. 

When Twisters made its way to the Hollywood scene, PETA did not let its depiction of rodeos go unnoticed. In the Los Angeles premiere of the movie, the group protested it for glamorizing what they call practices cruel to animals. A small but loud group of protesters outside Regency Village Theatre raised signs high in the air, from "Calves' Necks Are Twisted at Rodeos". PETA claimed that such events cause significant stress and injury to animals. 

In the case of Twisters, PETA protested the live animals featured in rodeo scenes, urging Universal Pictures to acknowledge the abuse with an on-screen disclaimer. A protester managed to make it inside the theater, briefly interrupting the premiere with chants calling for change.

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When The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey hit theaters in 2012, it was not only met with applause for its fantasy world but also protests. PETA, raised alarms about animal deaths on the set. Allegations included the maiming and deaths of horses, goats, sheep, and chickens, with claims that situations were not safe enough for the animals on set.

PETA did not stay quiet they protested the production of the film. They went on to say that with the latest CGI technology, no living creature should have been involved in the making of that film. PETA asserted that when ethical movie-making is possible with CGI and animations the film should not have subjected to animal cruelty.

In 2006, Apocalypto sparked a PETA protest due to a particularly intense scene: the decapitation of a jaguar. The film was praised for its gritty depiction of ancient Mayan civilization, but PETA was not impressed with this portrayal. The scene, which involved a jaguar in a life-or-death struggle, led to concerns. PETA stated that using animals in such scenes, which appeared to be brutal and real, was irresponsible. For this reason, the group started a campaign to alert the presence of animal cruelty in the making of Hollywood films. They called for studios to develop stricter rules against animals being harmed on the set. 

The protest elicited much attention, considering Mel Gibson's reputation and the intensity of the scene. Despite this backlash, Apocalypto became a box-office success, but the controversy remained long after the movie's release.

This film was on the receiving end of PETA's fire because of the treatment of a capuchin monkey, who played the character Jack. Reports surfaced that the monkey would frequently vomit on set, with one actor even calling it "hilarious”. But PETA was not laughing. They argued that the capuchin's complex physical and psychological needs were being ignored. The organization warned the producers that using real monkeys was bad for them. 

PETA made it clear that there has to be a more humane alternative, such as CGI instead of putting intelligent animals in conditions they said were unnatural and stressful. PETA called for a permanent ban on the use of wild animals in film productions after the protest.

The Walking Dead received protests from PETA because of some episodes featuring live animals in gruesome scenes. A notable incident was when the show showed two horses violently dying. Interestingly, though, the show took a step to keep animals safe by introducing a CGI tiger named Shiva in season 7.

This move earned The Walking Dead an Innovation in Television Award from PETA, who hailed the show's decision to choose compassion. So although the show raised some controversy, it did turn around to choose a better way of treating animals on screen. PETA may be quick to criticize but it also credits efforts taken towards animal protection in any way like when Drake garnered praise from Peta, as OVO went fur-free following their emails.

Yellowstone faced protests from PETA over its use of animals in various episodes. The organization protested that live animals were being mistreated in episodes involving horses and cows. In 2018, a whistleblower reportedly pointed out the production team using mutilated cow corpses as props for a scene. The details were disturbing regarding how the bodies were allegedly manipulated to look bloated and hacked apart. PETA demanded these scenes be cut from the show and instead, realistic props and CGI be used to prevent any harm to real animals. 

Paramount Network dismissed the claims and said they cared about the safety of animals, PETA was quick to counterattack, accusing them of a lack of transparency and even cruelty. 

 PETA has been pushing for years the use of CGI and animatronics over the use of live animals in films and television. They praised productions such as The Lion King in 2019 and The One and Only Ivan in 2020 for using digital animals to demonstrate that stories can be told without putting animal lives at risk.

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What is your take? Do these protests go too far, or are they necessary? Drop your thoughts below!