Local News in Brief : Animal Abuse Hot Line

A “hot line” will be set up in May for anyone wishing to report abuses of animals used in the entertainment industry, according to Betty Denny Smith, who on Thursday was named director of the American Humane Assn. regional office in Los Angeles.

Smith, the head of the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control between 1976 and 1982, took the job after persistent criticism of AHA’s performance as the film industry’s animal-welfare watchdog.

Its actions on the set of “Project X,” for example, became controversial last year when a crew member claimed trainers beat the chimpanzees used in the movie, although AHA representatives said they had seen no abuses during filming.

Smith, a well-known figure on animal welfare and rights issues, said she would form a task force to develop guidelines for training and handling of animals used in entertainment, and for setting up a directory of AHA-approved trainers.