"No Animals Were Harmed" in Super Bowl Ads

A total of nine commercials featuring animals aired during the Super Bowl, with an extensive list of species represented, including a hyena, leopard, woodchuck, bull, cockatoo, Capuchin monkey, chickens, frogs, snakes, horses and dogs. The ads placed many of the animals in comical situations, but most of the advertisers ensured that specialists from American Humane?s Film & TV Unit were on hand to monitor the welfare of the animals involved.

"Thanks to decades of leadership from American Humane, film and television directors, producers and actors rely on American Humane to ensure the safety of animal actors," said Karen Rosa, vice president of American Humane's Film & TV Unit in Los Angeles. "The fact that so many advertisers are calling on our services shows that across our society, there is recognition of the importance of the human-animal bond and the safety of animals."

The highly trained specialists, Certified Animal Safety Representatives™, monitored production of adverts for brands including Coca-Cola, Budweiser and Volkswagen. Today, most networks only air commercials once they receive a sign-off letter from American Humane, who is the exclusive authority of the famous "No Animals Were Harmed" credit seen at the end of movies and television shows. American football has been the center of several dog-fighting scandals, including the case of Michael Vick, who was forced to pay $1 million towards the care of Pit Bulls after he was convicted of taking part in a dog-fighting ring.