Michael Bay charged with killing a pigeon in Italy

Michael Bay has been charged with the killing of a pigeon in Italy for an incident on the sets of his 2019 Netflix film 6 Underground. The Italian authorities stated that a homing pigeon was killed during production in Rome in 2018. Bay has denied the charges against him and said that he has tried to clear the case with the authorities over the years but nothing has come of it. 

The incident reportedly took place during the middle of a take in Rome when a homing pigeon was killed by a dolly. An unknown person, who witnessed the accident, took a photograph and sent the report to the Italian authorities. 

Italy has a law that makes it illegal to hurt, kill or catch any wild birds. Hence, pigeons are a protected species in Italy as well as the European Union (EU) where it's protected under the Birds Directive.

"I am a well-known animal lover and major animal activist. No animal involved in the production was injured or harmed. Or on any other production I've worked on in the past 30 years," said Bay, adding, "We have clear video evidence, a multitude of witnesses, and safety officers that exonerates us from these claims. And disproves their one paparazzi photo — which gives a false story." 

6 Underground began filming in July 2018 in Rome, Florence, Sienna and Taranto. The crew wrapped up in December 2018. The action movie stars Ryan Reynolds, Corey Hawkins, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Dave Franco, Adria Arjona, Ben Hardy, Lior Raz, Mélanie Laurent, and others.