Gamera: Allegations of turtle abuse

[Robert Saint John]

(let me point out first that the WaiWai section of the Mainichi Daily news is very tabloidish, and IMO too sensationalistic to really be trusted)

http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/waiwai/ne ... 4000c.html



Gamera, a turtle-like movie monster and sometime adversary or ally of Godzilla, may be behind an unexpected hit in theaters at the moment, but its makers are now copping a hit amid claims of violent abuse of turtles used in the making of the movie, according to Shukan Asahi (5/26).

"Chiisaki Yujatachi Gamera," the story of a boy who raises a baby turtle until it grows up and becomes the gigantic Gamera turtle monster that saves the world by battling invading space monsters, is winning hearts and putting butts on seats.

But some claim that the making of the movie resulted in deaths or abuse of extremely rare African spurred turtles, which need to be raised in extremely cloistered environments.

...

"I don't know whether it was because they were mishandled, but a large number of the smaller turtles used ended up receiving treatment at veterinary hospitals even while filming was still going on. Several holes had been opened in their shells so they could be used for the movie's flying turtle scenes," Saito, head of the Think About Land Turtles Association, tells Shukan Asahi. "The turtle keeper had detailed statements on her personal blog about how the turtles had died, but now those statements have disappeared, for some reason."

(continued at http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/waiwai/ne ... 4000c.html )

[Legacy_Of_Gamera]

Wow... that flying baby Gamera was an actual turtle... I thought it was just a prop. Man, drilling holes into turtle's shells.... ouch, that's gotta be painful. I mean, a turtle's shell doesn't come off like in mario or other cartoons, they are part of the turtle's body. It's almost like someone drilling holes into your finger nails.

[Joseph Goodman]

[Robert Saint John]

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[Robert Saint John]

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[Gfan54]