Why I’m Boycotting “The Grey” and Why You Should Too…

The upcoming release of Liam Neeson’s new film “The Grey” has many wolf conservationists, animal rights groups and thousands of concerned citizens like myself quite concerned about this movie and what it might do to wolf recovery efforts and the fate of wolves like OR-7 – the first wild wolf to re-enter California in over 90 years.

Why?
The movie grossly mischaracterizes wolves as blood thirsty, territorial hunters of humans and the plot makes it look as if the humans are being hunted and pursued by killer wolves as they desperately fight for their survival.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Millions of wolves have been murdered by humans in the past while it is questionable if even a single human has been killed by a healthy wild wolf in North America in the time that records of such events have been kept.

Nevertheless, people, particularly those in many western states have an irrational fear of wolves and this paranoia is likely to be exacerbated by the release of The Grey. In fact it isn’t hard to imagine that an anti-wolf zealot, incited by the film will take it upon himself to hunt and perhaps kill OR-7 or other wolves that are only just beginning to reestablish themselves in their former range.

Further, the federal delisting process — which most wolf experts believe is taking place prematurely — is likely to be accelerated by the kind of propaganda created by this movie. It is also possible that this film will increase anti-wolf sentiment across the country and this may result in an increased demand for permits to hunt the few wolves that have begun to re-colonize the lower 48 as well as those that thrive in Alaska.

Beyond this, it has come to the attention of the media that in an effort to “get the cast into the proper survival mindset” director Joe Carnahan (@carnojoe on twitter) procured a wolf carcass ( which he had his cast consume in preparation for the film – an apparent attempt at method acting.

Many organizations have expressed their outrage at the movie itself and the actions of its cast and crew and I join them in denouncing this grotesque distortion of one of natures most intelligent and important apex predators, as well as for their decision to consume such an inappropriate meal for no legitimate reason.

PETA has already written about this issue, so has Ecorazzi.com and numerous other sites that are universally appalled by this film and the actions of its director and cast. I hope you’ll help spread the word and support me and others like me in an effort to show Hollywood that they have a greater responsibility to the people, our planet and all living things.

I hope that everyone that reads this will help me and others like me to promote a boycott of this movie. Already over 5500 concerned citizens have expressed their opinion on this issue by signing the petition I helped start at Care2.com.
Please express your distaste for this movie and the actions of its cast and crew and encourage anyone that cares about animals, truth and the environment to vote with their dollars and spend them on other less damaging forms of entertainment.

To keep updated on this issue, please follow me on Twitter: @owstarr. You can also let the film’s director know how you feel about his movie and meal choices by contacting him through twitter: @carnojoe, via Liam Neeson’s hashtag : #LiamNeeson or directly to the film’s PR: @TheGreyMovie

Thanks for reading this and taking action to help preserve and protect the wolf.
Boycott “The Grey” For Its Harmful Depictions of Wolves!

www.thepetitionsite.com
Boycott “The Grey” For Its Harmful Depictions of Wolves! signatures: deadline: ongoing signature goal: 10,000 Target: Open Road Films Sponsored by: Bryan F. Director Joe Carnahan’s new movie “The G…

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61 Responses to Why I’m Boycotting “The Grey” and Why You Should Too…

  1. Dan says:

    You are by far overreacting

  2. admin says:

    Really? After Jaws, 36 million sharks were slaughtered. People seem to be willing to take any and all opportunities to persecute and kill what they fear and wolves have received the worst treatment by man of just about any creature aside from our fellow man.

    We have killed wolves with cyanide, strychnine, explosive devices, traps, snares, pit-traps, poisoned bait and even biological weapons (wolves have been trapped, infected with mange and then released in a successful effort to infect other wolves with mange). In fact, the only animals that humans have treated worse than wolves are other humans!

    We’ve killed hundreds and hundreds of thousands of an animal that was here before we were. We’ve decimated the species upon which they feed in many places (anyone ever seen wild bison outside of Yellowstone?) We give away BLM lands to ranchers for ridiculously little per head per month – so little in fact that they have almost no incentive to do more than minimal management of their animals. They are further incentivized to quite literally “cry wolf” because in many states the same ranchers that have done the least possible effort to avoid wolf predation on cattle are compensated for losses that may have been caused by wolves.

    We have quite literally set the wolf up to fail. We encroach upon their habitat, replace their natural prey with a stupid, slow moving substitute, we give ranchers every reason NOT to take reasonable steps to protect their livestock and then we complain when a very few wolves take advantage of an opportunity we hand them on a silver platter. In fact what’s really surprising is not that wolves take cattle, but that so few wolves take cattle given the fact that we’ve made it almost absurdly easy for them to do so.

    Beyond this the fact that the cast and crew consumed wolf-meat? Are you kidding me? This is beyond revolting. Wolves are a threatened species. I have spent over 30 years studying, researching and raising wolves. The very idea that they would be slaughtered for the purpose of being a prop in a film or a vulgar and totally bastardized attempt at method acting makes me physically ill.

    To top it off, I’ve heard the imbecile director, Joe Carnahan refer to himself as “an animal person” this is almost as laughable as if Hannibal Lechter called himself a “people person”. The cast, crew and anyone that in any way supports their actions is clearly lacking in an appreciation for nature, life, and our planet. I only wish more people would react as viscerally as I have and take action to both blacklist everyone involved with this film and make an example of them and way their behavior is simply unacceptable in this time.

  3. Anne says:

    Any film which depicts gratuitous violence towards animals as a source of entertainment is depraved. Animals don’t have a choice about what happens to them. Unwatchable garbage.

  4. Joey says:

    First of all this is a fiction movie. Second I wouldn’t say it’s “irrational” to fear wolves. They can be very dangerous. I’m not trying to be a dick but I saw the movie and loved it. Liam Neeson is a great actor, but that doesn’t mean I want to go out in the wild and kill innocent wolves.

  5. admin says:

    Joey, before you say something based upon opinion why not do a little fact-checking of your own first. You’re more likely to be killed by deer or cattle then by wolves. In fact you’re more likely to be killed by lightning while standing dead in the heart of wolf country than to be attacked by wolves. In North America there are only to possible (not documented but potential) wolf kills of people in over the last 100 years. This is incredible. Domestic dogs kill more people in a single state in a month! Nevertheless, you have an irrational belief that wolves are dangerous. Fear leads to hatred, hatred leads to slaughter. After jaws 36 million sharks were killed. No, people didn’t go out and kill sharks themselves after seeing the movie but by making people fear sharks more, it made it okay that they were slaughtered all over the world.

  6. Ricky says:

    Your opinions are just as opionated….my point being……your plane crashes your all weak and injured bleeding ect ect….wolves attack injured animals as a pack(the injured easy target people) and eat every one! Tell me who’s around to document it….people that think wolves are COMPLETLY harmless are just as retarded as the people that justify killing animals from fear generated by a movie!

  7. admin says:

    RIcky, my opinions are based on thirty years of studying, working with and hand raising wolves – in other words, actual experience. They aren’t interested in people – they don’t see humans as food. This isn’t opinion, it’s fact.

    Further, the idea that it wouldn’t be documented is simply ridiculous. If your plane crashes and you are injured and bleeding and then eaten by wildlife the bones, tracks and other remains would paint a very clear picture of what happened. And believe me, if something like what you describe actually took place the anti-wolf media would go nuts with it. Unless you can send me proof that such a thing has taken place then I suggest that you make a point based on facts instead of more hysterical anti-wolf conjecture.

  8. Rahula says:

    Dude lay off ya the movie.. First of all it was a book first, don’t blame the directors or the actors for making a movie about a book that was already published and sold and read and enjoyed.. It never would have made it to film if the book didn’t become successful.. Why not blame the author of the book instead..

    Second I think it’s close minded people like those who bitch and moan about shit that has little to no value anymore.. Seriously?? You are going to support PETA and yet PETA wants to exterminate all Bull dog breeds including Boxers, any Pit Bull type dog and other “fight” breeds.. Don’t “those” animals hold any right to live?? And lets not forget that it is “inhuman” according PETA to milk a cow, lets not take into consideration that if a cow isn’t milked it will die..

    As far as this movie goes, for once this movie portrayed exactly how a pack of wolves in “winter” mode environment where food is scarce not to mention your just crashed landed in the heart of their territory.. Yeah they are going to pick you off one by one until the prey is consumed.. They have no idea nor recognition that you are man or not, as far as they where concerned they came across something that looked and smelt like food.. And take the wolves out of the picture you would all be complaining about the cannibalism that I am surprised never came up because personally I would have consumed my fallen brothers if it meant to live to the next day.. Lets face it out there is eat or be eaten and man only got this far in life by eating meat.. Before we ate meat we where nothing but herbivores and at the bottom of the food chain..

    Interesting don’t you think, came full circle in this movie lol.. Man found himself once again at the bottom of a food chain..

    How Ironic..

  9. OP is a faggot says:

    Wow, dude. It’s just a movie. PETA has brainwashed you dude. Do you want to boycott the Cabela games? Animals die in those.

  10. Natalie says:

    Come on, man. I’m a huge wolf lover too. The things are freaking gorgeous – one of the most beautiful animals there are, in my opinion. But The Grey is just a movie. It’s Hollywood. Of course they’re going to make everything more dramatic than it is, and maybe give wolves a bit of a reputation too. But have you seen the movie?

    The Grey doesn’t immediately pinpoint the wolves as dangerous. It’s not as if the wolves just come and attack the humans for no reason – they felt threatened, and rightly so, for the humans unknowingly wandered directly into their territory. They had reason to attack. They weren’t depicted as mad, bloodthirsty savages. They were beautiful, graceful, intelligent creatures. And history proves that wolves can occasionally be dangerous – you can’t sit there at your computer and tell the world otherwise. These aren’t exactly bunnies we’re talking about.

    In a way, it’s not even about the wolves. It’s about a man whose best thing in life has been torn from him, but even when all odds are stacked against him, he fights to stay alive. He fights and fights until it is humanly impossible for him to go any further, and the audience can’t help but respect him tremendously for it. It’s an amazing movie. Isn’t it a little drastic to full-out boycott it?

  11. Yvonne says:

    There is no need to express an opinion to you cos whatever other people think is wrong/not relevan/stupid cos you have a monopoly to be right…I am not going to write mine cos your argumentation is poor and not costructive at all. Btw…if you were able to distance yourself from your wolf fetish….the movie wasnt about the wolfes and conflict people vs wolfes. But I am sure you were not able to notice it. Have a good day

  12. admin says:

    Rahula, first and foremost my complaint with the movie and director, Joe Carnahan was the unnecessary use of two wolf carcasses as “props” for the movie and another two that the cast actually ate as a “method acting excercise”. Here’s Dermot Mulroney admitting as much: http://pear.ly/jlH_i . This is grotesque barbaric and the primary reason for my organization of a boycott. Secondly it’s because of how they portray wolves and the inaccurate impression that this film gives of their behavior.

    Your comment actually serves to prove me point as what you are saying is actually perfectly wrong — and it is beliefs like these that lead to the slaughter of an animal that has never shown any form of directed or specific aggression towards humans.

    Wolves DO NOT behave ANYTHING like they are depicted to behave in The Grey. How do I know? 30 years spent studying, working with and raising wolves. I’ve addressed this issue in detail here: http://www.quora.com/Is-it-realistic-for-the-wolves-to-behave-like-that-in-The-Grey but the fact that you think the movie had anything to do with reality serves to prove my point better than anything else I could write on the subject.

  13. admin says:

    Read my answer to Rahula – it covers your comment. My opinion has everything to do with what they did to wolves making the movie and the inaccurate perception and subsequent harm movies like this cause as a result of making it “ok” to kill what we fear. Humans need have no fear of wolves. Even in the middle of wolf country, alone, at night, I would be more concerned with getting hit by lightning than attacked by a wolf. They have a high degree of fear of people as documented by the fact that there are only 2 potential attacks on humans by wild wolves in North America since we’ve kept records of such things and in both cases there is still a high degree of uncertainty exactly what happened or even if wolves were directly responsible. Contrast that with hundreds of thousands of wolves destroyed by people in the US alone since the 1900’s. Who should be afraid of who? You tell me.

  14. admin says:

    Natalie, please read my other responses as to why I have organized a boycott of this film. My concerns are legitimate as I have detailed at length in my previous responses. I don’t want a director like Joe Carnahan to make money after using living creatures as unnecessary props or encouraging his cast and crew to consume an animal that did nothing but try to exist in spite of enormous pressure from humans.

  15. admin says:

    Given the quality of this comment — how clearly reasoned it is, how persuasive, and of course the spelling and grammar, should I really spend any more time than this on a response? I think I’ve covered anything the person commenting has attempted to address in previous comments.

  16. Joe says:

    How many sharks used to be slaughtered annually before the Jaws?

  17. admin says:

    I haven’t been able to find that statistic but these stats should be alarming enough to prove my point:

    Shark Statistics
    – You’re more likely to be killed by a lightning strike, bee sting or falling coconut or falling soda machine.
    – Of the more than 500 species of sharks in the world, only 10 have been known to bite a human being.
    – Sharks have existed on this planet for 450 million years, surviving 5 major extinctions.
    – Tens of millions of are killed by the shark finning industry.
    -It is estimated that 90 percent of all large sharks have been wiped out, and 93-99 percent of all large sharks off the east coast of North America are gone (tiger sharks, bull sharks, hammerhead sharks, etc.).
    – Shark fins, exported to Asia for shark fin soup, are now among the most expensive seafood products in the world, fetching up to 500 euros ($676) per kilogram. A single Whale Shark pectoral fin can sell for up to US$15,000.
    – Global trade in shark fins is increasing, and the market for shark fin soup is estimated to be growing by 5 percent per year.
    – No sharks are protected internationally. Only a handful of countries manage shark fisheries. Enforcement is very difficult.
    – Consumers are largely unaware of the origins of shark fin. Studies in Hong Kong and Taiwan show that consumers have little understanding of where shark fin soup comes from, of overfishing, of illegal shark fishing or of the practice of finning.
    – Shark fins are tasteless, and contain high levels of toxic methyl-mercury.
    – Shark fin soup is thought to be an aphrodisiac in some cultures. High levels of methyl-mercury are known to cause infertility.
    – The legal limit for consumption of methyl-mercury, set by the EPA, is 0.1 microgram per kilogram of body weight. Studies have shown shark meat contains as much as 1,400 micrograms of methyl-mercury in one kilogram. A person weighing 155 lbs would therefore get 50 times the legal amount in one single portion of shark steak.
    – Sharks’ life history makes them vulnerable to exploitation – for example, Basking Sharks take 15-20 years to mature, have a 2-3 year gestation period and produce only 4–6 pups.
    – Effective conservation and management are hindered by meager insight into the biology, life history, distribution, migration and exploitation of most shark species.
    – Sharks have widespread global distribution and play a vital role in maintaining the health of ocean ecosystems.

    Source: http://www.sharksavers.org/en/education/shark-biology-behavior/183-quick-shark-facts.html

  18. Adminisrerarded says:

    You sound like a black man demanding reparations because his great great great great granddaddy was a slave. EG: you sound like a moron for bitching about something that does not affect you at all. “but I’ve raised wolves for thirty years! They aren’t dangerous to anyone! If we don’t bitch about this horrid MOVIE, then someone’s going to kill all of the wolves!” who the hell would do that? People kill sharks to keep the waters safe, if you dont like it then why don’t you stick your head in its mouth and see what happens. If you really love all of your little animal friends so much then why don’t you just kill all of the people to keep them safe? God you are an idiot.

  19. Gabby says:

    Are you kidding sharks smell a drop of blood a quarter mile away and kill people all the te it’s always on the news any way because of using animals for props doesn’t mean you should boycott the movie I found it to be a very entertaining movie that’s what it’s ment for entertainment it’s not a documentary jaws is a different story it’s about the shark this movie is about surviving harsh elements and trying to get by onsticles when desperate if the ate a wolf or used props or whatever take it up with them not the movie p.s. don’t be mean to people who only state their opinion there just trying to get a point across

  20. Natalie says:

    I’m just going to ask again, have you seen the movie itself?

  21. admin says:

    I think this logic is flawed enough that it’s funny. Anyone else see it that way?

  22. admin says:

    “them” the people that had wolves killed and ate them and used their bodies as props for a stupic movie, are the people that made the movie. That’s why I did take it up with them. And further that’s the point of this post.

  23. Gabby says:

    Seriously its a movie about survival. A MOVIE. no one wants to kill a wolf after seeing a fictional movie because no one is really that “stupic” so there is no need for u to be so butt hurt about it. This is coming from a wolf loving normal person. Chill.

  24. Nina says:

    You know there was a person who made a good point that all the men saw the wolves 3 times and died which is a legend of the hellhound Someone brought it up on facebook maybe it wuz just that they tried to recreate that in the movie .

  25. IniD says:

    Wolves are edible?

    I didn’t see the movie and I didn’t know they ate wolves. Thanks for the info. I got to find myself some then.

  26. Mike Neppel says:

    It was clearly stated in the movie that wolves are not usually blood thirsty. The attacks were under special circumstances due to the crew being close to the den of the wolves.

  27. admin says:

    So by your logic, since people happened to get too close to a wolf’s den they were targeted by wolves? The problem is this is patently false. Wolves are so fearful of people that biologists are regularly able to enter dens and take the pups. This movie (in addition to the revolting and despicable actions of the cast and crew eating wolves and using their carcasses as props) spreads disinformation about wolves increasing public fear and with that increased fear additional persecution for an animal that has been unfairly maligned and viciously persecuted for ages.

  28. Bob says:

    Piss off you liberal limp dicks this movie is fantastic and in the movie he says they defend there den not that there blood thirsty dumbass

  29. JRaye says:

    If you had actually watched the movie and not boycotted it you would know that it wasn’t gratuitous and the wolves weren’t portrayed as blood thirsty human hunters. The men were in the wolves’ natural space, it’s survival mode for them to attack something that doesn’t belong. The wolves weren’t necessarily hunting the humans for fun but *spoiler alert* they were close to the den and only moving closer so the wolves were being territorial.

    I saw the movie– I have no desire to kill a wolf but the movie was freaking FANTASTIC. Oh, and fictional, duh.

  30. Sandy says:

    I just came across you guys & have to say that I absolutely loved THE GREY.
    I do think that trying to get people to boycot is a bit much.
    If you were to do this everytime something “immoral” happend in a movie, there would be no movie industry.

    I would also like to comment on the dude who said that cows would die if we didnt milk them. SIGH.
    Dude, they have been around much longer than we have. What do you think they did before we farmed them and made them give us their milk?
    No, I am not a vegitarian or vegan, BUT, I do think that driking milk is straight up wrong!
    In the wild a cow would have a baby, feed the calf with its milk and when the calf moves on to solids (grass), the milk dries up. Just like us humans! Dont you think that its wrong that we are the only mammals that keep drinking milk through our entire lives?
    They are not supposed to produce milk like this, like we are not supposed to. Its unnatural and we make them do it.

  31. admin says:

    JRaye, your comment illustrates the point I continue to make over and over. To wit: the film continues to portray the wolf in a grossly inaccurate light. Wolves are not territorial when humans are involved. They are fearful. Fearful to such a degree that biologists frequently report being able to enter a den and remove pups without incident even when the parents are right in the vicinity. When people approach wolves melt into the shadows.

    Further, if you’d read what I’ve written more carefully you’d note that our protest of this movie is for reasons far uglier than the way wolves are depicted. Did you know that four wolves were trapped, killed and used for the making of this movie? Have you heard in a bizarre and twisted perversion of “method acting” the idiot director Joe Carnahan (@carnojoe on twitter)actually brought in a chef and had him prepare wolf — yes wolf — for his cast and crew to consume? Or that when the actor throws the “wolf head” into the field that the head had actually belonged to a formerly live, wild wolf? What kind of director with any respect whatsoever for the natural world would spend millions of dollars on animatronic and CG wolves and then resort to disrespecting the body and soul of such a beautiful and wild creature? What purpose did either of this hideous acts serve? Did the actors “act better” because they ate some wolf? Dermot Mulroney doesn’t seem to think so based upon his statements on Jimmy Kimmel: http://www.examiner.com/video/dermot-mulroney-the-boy-who-ate-wolf . Did the move look more authentic because they chose to desecrate the body of a wolf instead of using one of the many thousands of other devices they’d already created for that simple scene? When even the actors themselves look embarrassed about what they’ve done, that should tell you everything you need to know about what happened on the set. And that’s just what’s known. God only knows what other evils they inflicted on wolves or other animals making their ridiculous movie. No HSUS monitors were allowed on set so there is no one to say how animals were used or treated. Still want to stand up for the people that profited from pain, suffering, misinformation and ugly cinema? Go ahead but I think you’ll only make yourself look ignorant in the process.

  32. admin says:

    Read my reply to JRaye above. It goes double for you.

  33. The Sheriff says:

    One of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time. And not because of the way the wolves were betrayed. First of all, what is wrong with them using a wolf carcass as a prop? If they wouldnt have, and instead used computer graphics you would’ve said “That doesnt even look like a real wolf!” and newsflash pal, wolves don’t get “murdered” by humans. Theres no such thing. Look up the definition. “When a human kills another human.” Not when a human kills an animal. Seriously you need to check your emotions with this. It’s quite unhealthy. And I am actually a wolf lover myself. They are beautiful creatures and I help with the efforts to protect them and re-establish them in the wild. With all of that said, it was one of the best movies i’ve seen.

  34. jo says:

    its a movie. get over it.

  35. admin says:

    Seriously? You think it’s okay to slaughter an animal simply so its dead body can be used in a movie or consumed by a group of misguided “artists”? Further, just because you choose to accept a simplistic dictionary definition of a word doesn’t mean I must. I believe that anything with a soul can be murdered and I’ve spent enough time around and studying wolves and other mammals to have formed my own opinion on whether or not those animals have something roughly equivalent to the human soul.

    I don’t see how anyone that calls them self a “wolf lover” would condone the harmfully inaccurate portrayal of wolves in this movie, much less the completely unnecessary use of the remains of actual wolves given that 90% of the wolves shown in the film were already animatronic or CGI.

  36. Flo says:

    You’re more likely to be killed by deer or cattle then by wolves. – The dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. Animal right people go way over board with their stupidity. Sure wolves dont act like they did in the movie, but I wouldn’t want to come across one. Why don’t you do that? Go in the middle of the forest and live with them. For a year. Then come back and tell us of your experiences. That, and go swim with great whites. Really. let us know

  37. Ernesto Moreno says:

    Wolf are beautiful and dangerous animals. I think the movie is good, makes you think and respect wolves, i love them and fear them…thank god America is a free country and you can say whatever, many like me love the movie and support it. We also love nature and would do anything to protect it, wolves included. The reality is not black and white, is GREY.

  38. Wolfman says:

    How about you shut the fuck up you whiney ass bitch, it’s a fucking movie, get over yourself

  39. Wolfman says:

    http://texascryptidhunter.blogspot.com/2010/03/wolf-attacks-on-humans-on-increase.html Hey buddy, I bet you ain’t gonna think they’re so fucking great when you’ve got one chewing on your ass

  40. Sebastian says:

    Firstly, I am an animal lover. I have a respect for all life, but I am also very much a carnivore. I eat beef, pork, chicken, duck, turkey, and many other meats. I often try new things as well; only last year I had a taste of octopus in Japan, despite my allergy to seafood. Does this mean I see the above animals to have “shown any form of directed or specific aggression towards humans”? Certainly not. Does it mean I don’t care about how animals are treated in life? Not even remotely.

    Nor do I see the issue in eating “Roadkill wolf”, as Jimmy Kimmel so eloquently puts it. I do not see it as disrespectful, more of a resourceful method of immersion into the story they are creating, whilst ensuring they do not break any ethical codes. In fact, PETA condones the idea of eating “previously deceased” animals, and it would be highly irregular for them to look at an already dead wolf and say, “Well, that’s an endangered animal; you can’t eat it, especially if you’re making a film.” Exactly when does the state shift from eating an already dead animal to desecrating a body?

    This brings me to my next point. Working with wolves for 30 years does not change the fact that this is a fictional movie, nor does it give your point – especially if you haven’t seen the film – any more weight. As Joe Carnahan said himself in response to protestors, “It would be really nice if you’re boycotting something you’d seen.” You can shout to the sky about how your 30 years with wolves has made you respect and love the creature more than anyone ever will, but the only thing that will achieve is the impression that you have turned arrogant, cynical, and unable to absorb others’ thoughts and ideas on the topic.

    Your comparison with the shark killings post-Jaws – though I understand what you are trying to say – is not as relevant, since the number was in excess of 30 million per year in 1963, which was when many countries began culling programs in response to shark attacks, and their status rose as the ultimate ‘trophy animal’, and the number remained high from then onwards.

    Before you dwell on the pain, suffering and “evils [the filmmakers] inflicted” on these animals, note that while HSUS was not present, it was only because that is not the only association in Hollywood which deals with animal treatment, and that more extensive research would tell you that the American Humane Association was present, and their review – which can be seen here – states the treatment of the wolves to be acceptable, explains certain scenes which do contradict some preconceptions noted in previous comments, and also details why the film does not carry the certification.

    Figuratively speaking, humans are not, by nature, a band of hysterical witch hunters out for blood, and telling them the story of Hansel and Gretel will only drive them into a rage if they choose to allow it. One does not blame the Brothers Grimm for their portrayal of the old woman if a witch hunt does indeed ensue; their book specifically states that the stories were naught more than fairy tales. I can understand your frustration, but this is Hollywood. The world knows it isn’t real, so boycotting it for being unrealistic is a tad vain. You cannot fairly place the blame on Joe Carnahan for what is happening to the wolf population. It is happening despite the movie, not because of it.

  41. admin says:

    I’ve lived and worked with wolves for thirty years. The image on the header of this blog is a wolf that sleeps beside me every night. All large canids have the potential to be dangerous but the facts are the facts. There have been two possible attacks by wild wolves on humans in North America in the last 200 years. I’m not going to bother to get the statistics for you, you can do that for yourself, but the numbers don’t lie. You’re more likely to be hit by lightening while in the middle of wolf country than to be attacked by a wolf in the same place. Those are good odds unless you’re a clueless idiot walking around waving ski poles over your head in a thunderstorm. You’re not that dumb, are you? Then you shouldn’t fear wolves.

  42. admin says:

    One other remark, I’m not blaming Carnahan for the wolf hunt. I would never give him that much credit. But you can’t possibly think anything about that wretched movie did anything but make it worse for wolves. I can’t imagine that someone that could at least articulate cogent thoughts (which is more than I can say for a lot of the people that responded to this post) like you have and be so intentionally ignorant as that. In the end my points remain the same: the film’s director exercised incredibly poor judgement by “feeding wolves to the cast”. It was unnecessary and disgusting. They had no reason to use the carcassas of formerly living creatures. especially in such obscene and gratuitous ways. Animals were harmed making this movie, both directly and indirectly as a result of the misinformation the film uses as a basis for the story.

    I don’t think any of these are disputable facts and I think you’re smart enough to recognize this.

  43. wow... says:

    Wow… Humanity is plummeting…

  44. Kylie says:

    I sooo agree! I’m 13 and I know more about wolves than most adults… and I think “The Grey” is sickeningly incorrect when it comes to the beautiful animal’s behavior. A wolf’s survival story is made many times harder than the movie because of humans.

  45. admin says:

    Kylie, You’re absolutely right. Glad to hear you have a real grasp of the true nature of wolves. They play a crucial role in helping keep our wild places healthy. If you ever want to meet a wolf let me know and I can help make that happen!

    Oliver

  46. admin says:

    Sebastian, please watch the Dermot Mulroney clip on Jimmy Kimmel again. He didn’t say it was “roadkill wolf” he said it tasted “pebbley”. The wolves were killed my now deceased Smithers BC trapper Dick McDiarmid (good riddance to that ugly old wolf killer, may he burn for a billion years). These animals were killed and their bodies used in grotesque and unnecessary ways simply for this vulgar and inaccurate film. Everyone involved should be ashamed (and it’s clear from his interview the Dermot was after he realized just how revolting what he’d done actually was).

  47. admin says:

    Hey, “Flo”, check the stats. Wolves have “maybe” killed two people in all of North America in the last 200 years. Deer and cattle kill far more annually in individual states. Better to STFU and let people wonder if you’re an ignorant moron, or open your trap (or tickle a keyboard) and prove it for all the world to see. Nicely done in this case.

  48. Jk8 says:

    I love animals. But boycotting a movie? Dude, that’s stealing freedom of expression. You have a problem with people assassinating wolves, bloody well kill them. That’s what I’d do if such a thing happened in front of me. And trust me, it would be effective. Violence is practically the only language humans understand. Trying to help them via the net is totally dumb. I’ve been trying to save tigers through the net for the past 5 years. But their numbers keep depleting faster every year. The poachers don’t even slow down. But I bet if you pass a death sentence on poaching the numbers would definitely go down. So if you really want to help them, get off the net and on the field.

  49. Jk8 says:

    And don’t get me man. I’m totally with you. I just can’t see any sense in campaigning over the net.

  50. admin says:

    Check out @wolfwlkr and you’ll be able to see what I’m up to. Of course I’ve also spent 30 years in the field and living with and studying wolves. I’d hardly call that spending time on the net and doing nothing.

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