BIRDS AND ANIMALS UNLIMITED (Animal Trainers)

When the critters of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone weren't animatronic or computer generated images, they were from the stable of Birds & Animals Unlimited Training and Coordination Center.

Animal trainer Gary Gero founded this Lake Forest, California, company in 1964. According to the firm, it strives to provide highly talented animals for film and television, while practicing the highest standards in animal welfare and safety.

If you were a film producer, Birds & Animals says it could deliver "any animal you want." They offer alligators, zebras, insects, eagles ... whatever. The business both purchases animals from screened suppliers and raises its own.

Gero said that to stock a production with creatures often requires one month to review the script, one month to acquire the animal "cast" and at least four months to train them for filming.

For example, Gero and two trainers acquired six different bichon frisés, little white dogs with very curly fur, for the movie As Good as It Gets. They spent 15 weeks with Timer, the lead dog, so he would appear as natural as possible onscreen. The script was written so that he was basically a fourth lead character.

For Disney's live action Jungle Book, Gero had to supply many wild creatures, such as panthers, bears and wolves, which also had to appear in scenes together without incident. Other animals that Gero, his partner Steve Martin (not the actor), and his 25 to 30 trainers had to wrangle with were Brahma bulls, elephants, horses and monkeys.

For The Sorcerer's Stone, animals include a number of owl species, Hagrid's dog Fang (played by a Neapolitan mastiff), Maine Coon cats (as Mrs. Norris), toads (for Neville Longbottom's pet) and rats to play Scabbers. Ron Weasley's pet is portrayed both by real and animatronic rodents.

Animals must be encouraged with gentle words, patience -- and yes, treats. "You start with a biscuit, then go to cheese and top sirloin," Gero joked about working with the little canines of 102 Dalmatians.

For the production of Disney's 101 Dalmatians (1996), the company constructed a "doggie condo" at the English set, with 24-hour veterinary care for the many spotted stars and other animals. That movie's menagerie numbered over 400 and also included raccoons, cows, squirrels, horses, pigs and woodpeckers. "Dalmatians are extremely high energy and need lots of attention," said Gero, who had a team of 40 animal handlers under him.

Producer Edward S. Feldman of the movie's sequel, 102 Dalmatians, said of Gero, "(He) is an animal specialist who is unique and unrivalled in his field and he’s one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. He wouldn’t let anyone do anything to the animals that would injure them or take advantage of them. He’d rather give up the scene."

Gero and company also have supplied animals to many other Disney kiddie flicks: That Darn Cat, Homeward Bound II, George of the Jungle, Mighty Joe Young and Inspector Gadget. Family films for other studios include My Dog Skip, The Sandlot, The Flintstones, The Indian in the Cupboard and Small Soldiers.

The biggest star of the Birds & Animals bestiary is Moose, a Jack Russell terrier that plays "Eddie" on NBC-TV's Frasier, with Kelsey Grammer. Birds & Animals also provided "Wolf," who starred opposite Jane Seymour in Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. Other diverse TV work included Star Trek: Deep Space 9; The Cosby Show; and the American soaps General Hospital and All My Children.

The company has worked on action-adventure: Lethal Weapons 3 and 4; The Crow I/II; The Client and The Firm (from John Grisham books); and Batman Returns. The animals and their trainers also have staffed comedies, such as Adam Sandler's The Waterboy.

Gero and his trainers have been hired for some of the biggest and best-known movies, such as Forrest Gump (1994), with Tom Hanks; Runaway Bride (1999), with Richard Gere and Julia Roberts; Pleasantville, with Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon; and The Truman Show, with Jim Carrey. (Incidentally, Sorcerer's Stone costume designer Judianna Makovsky also worked on Pleasantville.)

Gero, born in 1946, lives on the San Juan Islands, Washington, USA, with his wife, Barbara, and his own "big, brown, shaggy, drooly dogs," one of which appeared on the old U.S. sitcom Empty Nest.

The following narrative by Gero appeared in the 7 October 2001 edition of the Sunday Times Magazine (London, UK). Reported by Caroline Scott; photo by Perou.

When I'm in England, I rent a beautiful cottage 10 minutes from the Harry Potter studio. If there's a seven o'clock call, I get up at six, throw on some warm clothes, and make toast and real coffee. I was only home for 10 weeks last year, but that's nothing new - I've always traveled.

I visit the animal compound before going on set. Owls have a distinctive warm, musky aroma which hits you as you walk in. And then there are the sounds. The babies say: "Mom, feed me!" Some of the older ones hoot territorially.

Hedwig is a snowy owl with a couple of flying doubles to help him out. I can pick him out because he has a deeper, silly hoot, like he didn't really get the hang of it. We also have grey owls, eagle owls, tawny owls and barn owls. Then there are the rats and toads. There isn't much you can do to train a toad; just keeping him alive is the trick.

Fang, Hagrid's dog, is a Neapolitan mastiff; we have three of those and three Maine coon cats. Cats aren't hard to train. They appreciate a stroke once in a while, but generally they're working for food. A dog looks on food as a sign of approval. Food from a human means: "You're a good dog, you did the right thing." And they love that.

Owls have very small brains, but each of the species is different. Barn owls are moderately intelligent, snowy owls are real dim. They've got their niche in the wild so well organized, they don't need much imagination. Owls care only about food. If they're not hungry, they sit like a stump. We teach them to fly to and from a trainer, and to fly with things in their beaks. For one scene, a snowy owl has to fly on the spot in front of a big fan. A snowy doesn't rely too much on flight ability, so you're talking thousands of hours of training, thousands of treats.

Everyone meets with the director on set to work out the first sequence. Then we have a couple of hours while the shot is lit to get the animals fed and groomed. Each is weighed in the morning, and the food divided into meals and treats. Then they come up in the truck, nice and quiet, when it's time to work. Sometimes the animals get it right, and the actors don't; sometimes everyone gets it right and the cameraman slips the focus.

Everyone has bad days, but with animals it's mostly down to preparation. Rats are great animals. They retrieve well, they fetch and carry. You never need tell a rat a thing twice - they learn quicker than dogs. It's a huge adjustment to then have to get your head around owls.

We spent months trying to work out how we could get Hedwig to fly with the broomstick. We had to get the broomstick light enough, around 150 grams [5.3 ounces], then work out a way for him to land without dropping it. Nobody thought we could pull it off, so everybody clapped and got real excited when we did it.

Animal stress is counterproductive. A stressed owl has flattened feathers, big eyes, and he may pant a little. We don't go there. If there's stress, we quit. I have a cool chest containing treats, mostly chicken and beef, with a bit of fur and bone. These owls have never eaten live food. Hell, can you imagine the problems we'd have with the toads and the rats? Lunch is from the canteen. I stick to baked potato and tuna. I try to stay off the cholesterol, but I've been in Britain so long, I'm eating butter and cheese and getting to like it. I had a job one time which involved making a bull talk. The only thing that bull would open his mouth for was Marmite. [Webmaster's note: Marmite is a British sandwich spread made of brewer's yeast extract, and is slighty salty and strongly flavored.]

When you're working with an animal, you're his partner. My best memories are of working with birds. Crows, ravens and jackdaws are so intelligent. They have strong monogamous bonds, and some mate for life. Once, a bird I raised chose me for its mate. Poor old girl. I took her somewhere she could breed with her own kind. Probably broke her heart. I'd never release a trained bird into the wild. After filming,the owls stay with us. They'll go home with the trainers and they'll work again on Harry 2. Very rarely do we re-home an animal; if he's been trained for a film, he's with us for life.

I love wolves, and I have a weak spot for primates. The little ones are just like children. They're great fun and they give out so much love; they hug and kiss and play with your hair. But boy, a little monkey can wreck a house in no time. You have to bolt everything down. There are laws in the States that you can't have wild animals living in your home all the time. So we have a retirement ranch in California where all the old guys go, and the young guys go for vacations. There's a wonderful lady there whose job it is to play with these creatures all day long.

I don't generally drag animals back to my house after a day's work. They need more than the five or six hours' sleep I get. Most evenings, I say goodnight to everybody at the compound, then drive over to the pub for a drink and a meal. I quit smoking for 20 years, then I started sitting in English pubs, and I figured I was inhaling so much nicotine passively, I might just as well begin again.

I'm real dirty at the end of the day - greasy from the meat and covered in owl poo - so I shower before bed. The ups are so up and the downs so down, the pressure is enough to chase a stone man out, but I love this job. Who cares if no one knows who I am? You saw Hedwig fly. You saw Fang follow Hagrid into the wood. Then you know my work.

Good news! The American Humane Association gave its highest rating of "Acceptable" to The Sorcerer's Stone for treatment of animals during the production. For a very extensive discussion of the animal effects in the movie, see its page at the AHA Film & TV site.