I have a movie that calls for a bald eagle, but I was told that I cannot use North American species of birds. Why is that?

Due, in part, to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, no venture for profit (i.e. commercial, television show, movie, print ad, etc.) can use any bird native to North America. In fact, it is illegal to even posses these birds without proper licenses and/or permits (which are almost impossible to acquire.) For this reason, we have many birds from all over the world that resemble our North American species. We also have birds that are similar and can be safely dyed to look almost identical to many of our native species. These birds are part of our incredibly vast collection.

What is an “animal team”?

An animal team consists of one hero animal with one to two identical backups. They are often hired to perform different behaviors that are unique to each particular animal on the team. For instance, in a typical cat team, you will have a “stay cat” (one that lays or sits on a mark and stays), an “A to B cat” (one that goes from one mark to another), and an “in arms cat” (one that can be held by talent without being scratched, bitten, etc)

Most of our dogs and cats have been rescued from either bad situations or shelters. We do, however, have many dogs that are owned by private parties but have a unique look or ability that is desirable for production.

Our exotic animals come from breeders and zoos across the United States. These animals are bottle raised to ensure imprinting. This aids in the training process and ensures the animal a more secure and happy life.
 

If your animal has extensive training, is located in Southern California, is outgoing, friendly, and has either a unique look or knows an unusual trick, you can always email us and ask. Generally though, the answer is "no" due to the tremendous amount of training we put in on all of our working animals before they go on a paid job, in order to ensure competent working animals for our clients.

We have many different types of trained exotic and domestic animals that can do “hits” on talent. We also have SAG/AFTRA trainers that can double as talent for the more dangerous encounters.

Absolutely! We have trainers that are male, female, short, tall, thin, heavy, etc. Just let us know what you need!