Several animals killed during filming of The Hobbit

Have you heard all the commotion about ilming of The Hobbit?

This is from Animas website:

Several animals are killed during the filming of The Hobbit.


When many eager fans to December flock to theaters across the country to see Peter Jackson's long-awaited adventure film The Hobbit, is animal cruelty probably the last thing the audience has in their mind.
But the truth is that many animals are involuntarily got a role in the film, both were molested and killed when conditions they were kept in was extremely problematic. Several horses were killed when they were held in a way that simply was not at an acceptable level.

For example a horse died because of overfeeding and another horse broke it's back in a fall. The animals were fenced in a place that was not suitable for livestock. Several goats, sheep and chickens also died as a result of inadequate treatment. A total of 27 animals lost their lives during the production of The Hobbit.

This comes from Animas website. To me it sounds like a total exaggeration. Of course, animals should be treated properly, but what I know of is these animals treated as gold. There are huge amounts of time in their training, not least money. Why would you then treat them badly? I must honestly say I'm a bit skeptical.