Rabbit Slaughter Draws Brickbats

The American Humane Assn. is warning all animal lovers about a particularly chilling animal scene in the documentary “Roger & Me.” The scene, according to Betty Denny Smith, director of the Los Angeles Office of the AHA, shows a woman clubbing a young rabbit to death, stripping its fur and gutting it.

The woman, one of thousands who had been laid off from General Motors in Flint, Mich., ran a “rabbits for sale--for pets or food” operation. The documentary, which illustrates the impact of GM’s layoffs, showed the woman killing and gutting a rabbit for her family’s dinner. The woman’s establishment was later shut down by federal authorities.

“Many people will go to see this documentary thinking it’s a comedy,” Smith said. “In fact, however, it shows a little rabbit being murdered. . . . This documentary could have been told without this gruesome scene.”