Animal Lovers Worry as ‘G-Force’ Takes Box Office From ‘Potter’
(ZT Pet News Photo Courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures)
Animal Lovers Worry as ‘G-Force’ Takes Box Office From ‘Potter’: The 3-D feature edged out the reigning Harry Potter film this weekend with the action-packed plot of super hero guinea pigs. The adorable computer-generated characters has animal organizations bracing for an impulse-pet-buying fallout.
NEW YORK — Scurrying past wizards and spells to claim the No. 1 spot in the box office this weekend was Walt Disney’s 3-D “G-Force.”
Opening with $32.2 million, the Jerry Bruckheimer produced film, ousted “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” which brought in $30 million.
But animal welfare and rescue groups are concerned that the film’s success could bring a fallout to the small rodents featured as the highly specialized team of secret agents on a mission of the U.S. government.
“It brings an awareness,” said Jami LoVullo, the American Humane representative who was on set for the filming of “G-Force.” “It brings an appreciation for people to have animals in their minds, to treat them kindly and to have them in their lives, but then, that’s the downside — that people will want them as pets.”
The real-life concern is based on the phenomenon that occurs when major films feature animals as gregarious — albeit professionally trained — animals. In the months following the release of “101 Dalmatians” and “Babe,” the public’s demand for those same breeds was sparked as the new American “must-have” pet.
While purchasing a puppy or potbelly pig might present enough hurdles to some impulse pet seekers, LoVollo is concerned that with guinea pigs price and care misconceptions won’t get people to think it over enough.
“One of the problems is that they are cheaper and people will think that they are easier to take care of,” LoVolla told ZT Pet News. “But they have to be handled daily to keep them tame because they can be really skittish — if you get one as a baby and handle it a lot, he can be tame, yet it does takes a lot of work.”
Being rodents, guinea pigs need to have a special diet to address the constant growth of their teeth, as well as daily grooming for the long-hair varieties. While some might think guinea pigs are much like hamster, which have a lifespan of about two years, guinea pigs grow to be much larger, about 8- to 10-inches long, and can live up to seven years or more.
Like most pets, guinea pigs thrive under constant attention and play time and the little rodents fare much better living in pairs — but any more than two can cause aggression issues.
“The biggest misconception is that they are easy to care for and they are great with children,” LoVollo said of the pet which can cost around $40 a month in food, hay and bedding supplies, as well as needing medical care from only exotic animal veterinarians.
“They are not necessarily biters, but they stress easily, and they wil jump out of your arms — and they are fast movers,” said LoVolla as the reason why homes with children are not ideal for guinea pigs.
“A rat is actually a much better choice,” LoVolla offered as an alternative to families seeking a small pet. “If you get one as a baby, and handle them, they love people, they are very easily trained, and they are really, really smart.”
As for “G-Force,” LoVolla says that the pet shop scene took about two weeks to film to get every angle needed to capture all the pets in their cages. She also said it was the only scene where real guinea pigs were used in the film.
Source:zootoo.com
