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ANIMALS
EXPLOITED FOR ENTERTAINMENT:
Rodeos
Calf Roping
(The Most Cowardly Rodeo Event)
It is
not hard for anyone with a brain and a heart to understand what is
wrong with clothes lining a baby animal, body slamming it to the
ground and tying it legs so it cannot move. If this were done to a
puppy or kitten, the offender would be charged with crimes and
likely jailed.
Incredibly, rodeo people have no problem with committing an act of
cruelty and cowardice against a baby cow during calf roping. A
roping calf is only three to four months old. After that, they
become too heavy for the "macho" cowboys to handle.
Calf-roping on the range bears no resemblance to calf roping at the
rodeo. In the rodeo, it is a timed event, and indefensible abuse to
the calf is the price paid for a competitive time. On the range,
calves are roped carefully, and slowly brought to a halt.
On
the range, calves are roped for care, or to protect them from
danger. In rodeos, calves are endangered for amusement. This "sport"
violently and specifically preys upon baby animals, and then calls
itself "family entertainment!"
Rodeo
Bucking Events (A Perversion of Ranch History)
In
the old west, wild horses were captured and domesticated for work on
the range. During capture, they didn't need to be spurred, or to
have bucking straps tightened around them. They didn't have to be
shocked or slapped or otherwise abused because they were truly wild.
The
rodeo bucking horse is not wild. In a reversal of western history,
domesticated horses are made to act wild by irritation, discomfort
and pain. Rodeo horses often refuse to buck even when they are
spurred and have the flank strap on. It is called "chute stalling."
Chute stalling usually results in a 5000-volt dose of pain from a
shock device for the "guilty" bucking horse. The horse who simply
refuses to buck is headed for the slaughterhouse.
Steer
Wrestling (It Never Happened on the Ranch; It Shouldn't Happen in
Rodeos)
Steer
wrestling has no place in ranch history. It is an abusive event
developed simply to amuse people of questionable character and
intelligence.
Bull Riding
(Another Rodeo Event Completely Unrelated to Ranch Work)
Like
the victims of bullrings, the huge size and fierce appearance of a
bull makes him the perfect target for animal abusers. Rodeos know
they can fool many people into believing that the bull is impervious
to pain. Nothing could be further from the truth. Furthermore, bulls
were never ridden in ranch work.
Typically, it is bulls who receive the worst abuse from electric
shocking in rodeos. Cows are particularly sensitive to electricity,
and rodeo animal abusers use that to their advantage to make calm,
docile bulls appear to be wild killers.
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What
You Can Do
Do not attend rodeos, shows, circuses, animal races or amusement
parks that exploit animals. Most children love animals and enjoy
seeing them whenever they can. Explain to children why your
family chooses not to support these forms of cruelty.
If your local community sponsors a rodeo or circus, write to the
city manager, city council members and corporate sponsors and
educate them.
If you wish to enjoy a circus, support non-animal circuses
instead. Tell your friends, family and coworkers not to go to
the circus. Remind them that circus animals are not volunteers.
Contact the venue that will be hosting a circus or rodeo and ask
management to withdraw the invitation or, at the very least, not
to invite them back next year.
Watch television shows and films carefully for potential animal
abuse. Point out the realities of “training” to your friends and
family. Educate the media about animal exploitation.
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