By Debbie Emery - Breaking Celebrity News Reporter

A slew of animal injuries and deaths on the set of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has been revealed by wranglers, who were disgusted by the dangerous conditions on the New Zealand farm that was filled with bluffs, sinkholes and other "death traps."

Four of the trainers on Peter Jackson's latest installment of the fantasy franchise became whistleblowers and divulged details including the deaths of three horses and numerous sheep, goats, and chickens, sparking an investigation by PETA spanning several months, Breaking Celebrity News has learned.

"Two horses were run off embankments and sustained broken necks on the set of The Hobbit, at least one horse was left lying on the ground with his legs tied together for more than three hours, numerous goats and sheep used for the production died from worm infestations and from falling into sinkholes, and a dozen unprotected chickens were killed by dogs," PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange revealed in an e-mail statement to Breaking Celebrity News.

"Peter Jackson's films have been at the forefront of the special-effects revolution, but this production's decision to use numerous live animals and allow them to suffer needlessly and die takes the entertainment industry a giant and disgraceful step backward."

PHOTO: Check Out Joanna Krupa's Hilarious And Fully Uncensored PETA Ad

Among the shocking allegations of abuse, neglect and torture are the fates of Shanghai, a horse who was hobbled (with his legs tied together so he couldn't move) during a location shoot and left lying on the ground for more than three hours because he was too active for his rider to handle. The resulting rope burns were then covered up with make-up and fake feathers.