The Walking Dead’s “Magic” Tiger Earns Vegan Award

Post-apocalyptic zombie television series The Walking Dead was recently recognized with an Innovation in Television Award by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for its use of computer-generated imagery (CGI) to bring to life Shiva—a Bengal tiger character to appear in the series’ upcoming seventh season—in lieu of employing live animals. At last week’s San Diego Comic-Con, series creator Robert Kirkman revealed that the fan-favorite tiger would be portrayed using animatronics and CGI “so there’s no real tiger at all—it’s all magic.” “By choosing the excitement of cutting-edge technology instead of captive animals, The Walking Dead has won the respect of everyone who objects to condemning wild animals to live chained and in cages, as well as making them perform under the threat of a whip,” PETA Director Mimi Bekhechi said. “PETA will press television and film producers to follow the show’s compassionate lead.” Earlier this year, PETA also awarded The Jungle Book director Jon Favreau for his role in the live-action adaptation of the beloved Disney story without the use of animals.