Cate Blanchett's new movie The Golden Age is the subject of a UK animal welfare investigation into claims a zebra was beaten during filming.

The treatment of animals in the follow up to 1998 epic Elizabeth has caused concern for its stars, who contacted police and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA).

A 34-year-old extra who witnessed the abuse says, "The zebra had to walk past a line of people and we all had to clap. The scene was shot about 20 times. The zebra was very distressed. It was breathing heavily and its feet were clattering all over the place."

The extra alleges the zebra was also punched in the head several times, recalling, "It was horrible. There were quite a few of us who couldn't believe what we were seeing. So someone called the RSPCA, the police."

A spokeswoman for the RSPCA confirmed, "We are following up the complaint of ill treatment."

Some of Cate Blanchett's best work:
Elizabeth
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring; The Two Towers; The Return of the King
Veronica Guerin
The Aviator

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)