HBO Slammed for Horse Deaths in Luck

Animal right activists are slamming a new TV series after two horses had to be put down after suffering injuries during filming. A PETA official said the organization "repeatedly reached out" to HBO before filming began on its horse-racing series Luck to offer safety advice but was "rebuffed." The two horses stumbled and fell during races staged for the pilot and for the seventh episode of the program starring Dustin Hoffman— and their fractures couldn't be repaired, reports the BBC.

The American Humane Association's standard "no animals were harmed" statement was removed from the credits of both episodes. After the second death HBO briefly suspended filming to "adopt additional protocols for horse racing sequences," including hiring an extra vet and radiography of the legs of all horses used, said a network statement. (More HBO stories.)