When the rodeo came to their town, members of the grassroots group San Diego Animal Advocates decided to check it out: not as spectators, but as witnesses to the animal cruelty that takes place at rodeo events both behind the scenes and in full view of the public. Using video cameras, they documented the constant mistreatment of cows, horses and other animals at both the Lakeside Rodeo and the Iron Horse Pro Rodeo Shoot Out. They then sent the footage to Channel 10 News, which aired a story on their investigation during a broadcast last week.

Megan Sewell, spokesperson for San Diego Animal Advocates, described some of the abuses captured on camera. "People who do go to rodeos don't see exactly what happens…They don't see the animals getting hit, they don't see them getting kicked and (they) don't see what happens afterwards," she stated during an interview for the program. "Many of these animals suffer broken bones, broken ribs, legs or necks, ruptured tracheas and punctured lungs. (It's a) terrible price to pay for entertainment." Most animals injured during rodeos or practice sessions are sold to slaughterhouses because it is not economically profitable to pay veterinary costs for their recovery.

By definition, rodeo cannot be a "sport" because, as Sewell eloquently points out, "The animals aren't willing participants. They're treated as athletic equipment, (and they) should not be treating animals like this, especially the babies." The worst abuses of young animals take place during calf-roping events, in which cowboys chase four- to five-month-old baby calves on horseback and then lasso them around the neck, often snapping their heads back as they come to an abrupt halt. Competitors then slam the calves to the ground to stun them so they can tie their legs together in the shortest amount of time. Such displays of man's domination over other species belie rodeo's true nature not as sport, but as exploitation.

What You Can Do:

View the Channel 10 News story, and then send a short note to the news team thanking them for exposing animal abuse at the rodeo.

10News
P.O. Box 85347
San Diego, CA 92186
E-mail: kgtv_10viewertalkback@10news.com

If you live in the San Diego area and want to help put a stop the rodeo in your community, email Megan Sewell at megan@animaladvocates.org.