Michael Bay is accused of killing a pigeon while filming in Italy

Michael Bay is accused of killing a pigeon while filming in Italy

Michael Bay is in hot water with Italian authorities after a pigeon, a protected species in the nation, was allegedly killed on the set of one of his movies.

TheWrap reports that a homing pigeon was run over and killed by a dolly during the 2019 Netflix production of 6 Underground. Because it is against the law in Italy to damage, capture, or kill any wild bird, an anonymous witness photographed the event and notified the police.

Bay is being blamed for the pigeon’s death because he directed the picture in question. Bay has consistently turned down the Italian government’s offer to pay a fine and end the investigation because he insists that he is innocent of any wrongdoing.  “I am a well-known animal lover and major animal activist,” Bay told TheWrap. “No animal involved in the production was injured or harmed. Or on any other production I’ve worked on in the past 30 years.”

The director said, “I was offered by the Italian authorities a chance to settle this matter by paying a small fine, but I declined to do so because I would not plead guilty to having harmed an animal,” and then cited “clear video evidence” and “a multitude of witnesses, and safety officers that exonerates us from these claims.”

Bay stated, “There is an ongoing court case so I cannot get into the specifics, but I am confident we will prevail when I have my day in court,”