FROM Babe to Beethoven, animals have melted our hearts with onscreen in some of Hollywood’s biggest films.
But when the cameras stop rolling and the box office has made its millions, it’s not always a happy ending for creatures who brought our favourite character to life.
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Earlier this week, we reported on the heartbreaking tale of Kathy the bottlenose dolphin who famously starred in the Sixties TV hit Flipper.
Her long-term trainer Ric O’Barry claimed the marine mammal took her own life when she swam into his arms and held her breath until she passed away in 1968.
The former US Navy diver, who quit training animals for film and TV founded a dolphin sanctuary after the death, insisted it was “suicide” because she was “miserable” and “tired of suffering”.
Sadly, Kathy isn’t the only animal star to suffer a heartwrenching demise after making an appearance on the big screen.
Bond bear’s disappearance before injury
Hercules, a grizzly bear from Scotland, lived up to his heroic named after surging in popularity during the Eighties.
But before his onscreen debut, he was destined to be put down by Highland Wildlife Park, in Kingussie, because they didn’t have space for him in 1976.
Andy and Maggie Robin stepped in and paid £50 to adopt the animal and took him on tour as part of the wrestling act.
After training Hercules they realized he was meant for greater things and began to offer him acting roles.
Hercules appeared in advertisements for Kleenex as well as Hofmeister Beer. He was also featured on the cover Time magazine’s Miss World issue.
He was also named ‘Personality of the Year’ by the Scottish Tourist Board, received a telegram from Ronald Regan and met Margaret Thatcher.
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But arguably the bear’s biggest achievement was starring alongside Roger Moore in the 1983 James Bond film Octopussy.
After Hercules disappeared from filming Kleenex ads for 24 days, it was the story that made headlines.
He was eventually found on Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides. It was there that he was reported to have lost 20 stone before being tranquilized, netted, and flown back home to the Robins.
Hercules’ career sadly came to an end after a fall left him him a slipped disk, while filming the BBC documentary Eyewitness Bear in 1997.
The Robins refused to allow the animal to die due to the injury. Instead, they put him through intense exercise therapy to teach him how to walk again.
He survived for four more years and, after losing his legs, he died at age 25.
Wizard of Oz dog trauma
Terry the Cairn Terrier amassed an impressive 22 acting credits, including 10 Hollywood films, during her 11 years.
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Her biggest role was in The Wizard of Oz and according to the dog’s biography I, Toto, she earned an impressive $125 a week on set – around $2,500 (£1,800) today.
Poor Toto, however, sustained a painful injury in the role of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz (1939).
One of the Wicked Witch of the West’s minions accidentally trod on her, which broke bones in her paw and ruled her out of filming.
LittleThings reported Terry was taken care of by Garland for two weeks. She hoped to adopt her dog companion, but she was turned down.
The Toto actress, who had won hearts across the world, died in 1945 at the age 11
Her Los Angeles gravestone was damaged during construction of the Ventura Highway in 1958. It was later rebuilt with a permanent monument.
Life of Pi tiger nearly drowned
While much of 2012 adventure drama was filmed using CGI animals, a real Bengal tiger named King was used for some of the scenes.
However, in 2013 The Hollywood Reporter claimed not everything went to plan on-set and according to a leaked email the King “damn near drowned”.
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A note from former American Humane Association (AHA) employee Gina Johnson, who was charged with ensuring the animal’s safety on-set, revealed shocking allegations.
She wrote: “The worst thing was that last week we almost f***ing killed King in the water tank.
“This one take with him went really bad and he got lost trying to swim to the side.”
Despite King’s close-shave with death on Life of Pi, the AHA previously maintained “no animals were harmed” in the majority of Hollywood films.
The group said the report “distorted” their work and there was a 99.98 per cent safety record on film sets.
Ace Ventura giraffe’s ‘mystery death’
Tweet the giraffe quite literally stood head and shoulders above his competition as he managed to bag a number of high-profile roles.
He starred in a number of adverts for Toys R’ Us and Jim Carrey’s 1994 comedy Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.
Tweet fell in his pen while working on Zookeeper in 2009 and died from suspicious causes.
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A whistleblower told PETA that the 18-year-old animal had been kept in a 20-foot-by-20-foot stall that was too small for the 18ft giraffe.
They also claimed that Tweet was exposed to toxins after he ate pieces of plastic tarp from his enclosure and “caretakers did nothing to stop him”.
Adam Sandler, who produced the film, did not respond to PETA’s claims and later the AHA sought to discredit the allegations. The cause of the animal’s death remains a mystery.
Legally Blonde dog stroke
Before landing her big role alongside Reese Witherspoon, Gidget the chihuahua was already a star of the small screen.
After appearing in advertisements for OId Navy clothing and Taco Bell fast food chain, the 12lb dog gained legions of admirers.
But her appearance in Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde allegedly a launched surge in people adopting chihuahuas according to the dog’s trainer Sue Chipperton.
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The celebrity canine frequently travelling in limousines and once opened the New York Stock Exchange, according to Ranker.
Gidget, who suffered a stroke in 2009 at the age 15 had to be put to sleep.
Chipperton recalled: “She really did have a concept of being in front of the camera… She just had a sparkle.”
The Hangover monkey’s film fame
Crystal the monkey has worked with some of the biggest stars in Hollywood including Ben Stiller, Bradley Cooper, Scarlet Johansson and the late Robin Williams.
The 17-year-old animal has 29 credits, including three Night At The Museum movies and The Hangover: Part II.
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According to the star’s IMDB page, which described her as “no small bananas”, five films she starred in collectively grossed more than $2.5billion (£1.8bn) at the Box Office.
Recently, she was a star alongside Mark Ruffalo in HBO’s I Know This Much Is True. This series won four Emmy Awards and received an Emmy.
Free Willy whale’s struggle to adapt
In 1993, filmgoers were enchanted by the heartwarming tale of the boy taught about friendship, love and responsibility by an orca whale.
Keiko, which means “lucky one” in Japanese, was scouted to play the now-iconic marine mammal after being spotted at a run-down aquatic park in Mexico.
Before Free Willy’s credits aired, the filmmakers appealed to the public for Keiko’s release.
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After a number of letters, phone calls and donations, the animal was taken to an Oregon aquarium and later relocated to Iceland in 2000.
He was unable, because of the time he spent with people and other whales, to socialize or eat.
Keiko died three years later from pneumonia. Scientists now believe he was not well-prepared to return to the wild.
Tragic Lassie loss
A Rough Collie named Pal played the part of Lassie for 11 years – but he was initially turned down for the part due to his appearance.
Producers felt the dog looked too “ordinary” and wasn’t superior-looking enough for the big screen because he had a flathead and overly large eyes.
Pal was still with Rudd Weathermax, a Hollywood animal trainer. He was hired after the Lassie who refused to swim was unsuccessful.
After starring in several Lassie films, MGM requested a replacement lead. He continued to do 18-minute slots at department shops and dog shows.
Tommy Rettig, 11 years old, was chosen from three dogs actors to be the replacement.
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In 1958, Pal died of natural causes, at the age of 18, after battling blindness, deafness and stiff joints one year earlier.
Weathermax’s son said the trainer fell into a deep depression after his canine companion died and he was never able to watch a Lassie movie again.
Harry Potter owl scandal
The part of Hedwig was played by seven snowy owls and a number of stunt owls in the Harry Potter franchise.
Gizmo was the main performer, but Ook and Sprout were also present.
Because they were smaller than Hedwig, all of the snowy-owls were male, which made it easier to handle for child actors.
In 2017, whistleblowers from animal talent agency Birds & Animals Unlimited (BAU) told PETA that creatures in their care were being “neglected”.
They felt a number of animals were “treated like disposable props” and kept in poor conditions, including an owl named Crash who starred in at least one Harry Potter film.
PETA claimed the bird was kept in an enclosure that was covered in six weeks’ worth of excrement and that he didn’t have adequate space to live happily.
BAU has denied these claims, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture charged them last year with violating the Animal Welfare Act.
Many animal actors have had to face terrible endings, but many others have enjoyed happier times.
Babe required 48 piglets for the 1995 farmyard movie. These piglets grew up too quickly.
In a similar vein, Chris, the Beethoven star who played the mischievous Saint Bernard was delighted to reprise the role in two films. He died at the young age of 12, which is longer than most dogs of his breed.
Karl Lewis Miller, his trainer, described the dog’s loyalty and compassion as that of the pet he portrayed on screen.
After the end of TV and film productions, many actors adopted their animal companions.
These include Sophie Turner, who now has a direwolf from Game Of Thrones and Brendan Fraser, who brought home a horse from Texas Rising. Tiffany Haddish adopted one of Keanu’s kittens.
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