Boyle agitates animal right activists

Filmmaker Danny Boyle has come under fire for planning to include live animals in the opening ceremony of the London Olympics, with campaigners branding his idea exploitative.

Filmmaker Danny Boyle has come under fire for planning to include live animals in the opening ceremony of the London Olympics, with campaigners branding his idea exploitative.

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The Slumdog Millionaire director recently unveiled plans to include real grass, soil and farmyard creatures at the ceremony that will kick off the international sporting event in London next month.

Boyle is set to include 12 horses, 10 chickens, 70 sheep and nine geese. But his project has been criticised by bosses at animal rights organisation Viva, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

"This is wrong on so many levels. Why would anyone think it was a good idea to subject farmed animals to the pandemonium of an Olympic opening ceremony? Many of those animals, especially the sheep, are likely to be terrified. (It's) exploitative and potentially cruel," said Justin Kerswell, Campaigns director.