The welfare of animals in rodeo has been a topic of discussion for the industry, the public, and the law for decades. [2] [3] [4]
The welfare of animals in rodeo has been a topic of discussion for the industry, the public, and the law for decades. [2] [3] [4]
In response to animal welfare and animal cruelty concerns, a number of laws have passed regulating rodeo. In the United Kingdom the Protection of Animals Act 1934 effectively made rodeo, as it was then practiced, illegal in England, Scotland and Wales. [5] In September 2000, California became the first American state to prohibit the use of prods on any animal in a chute. [6] : 268
Modern rodeos in the United States are closely regulated and have responded to accusations of animal cruelty by instituting a number of rules to guide how rodeo animals are to be managed. [7]
In 1994, a survey of 28 sanctioned rodeos was conducted by on-site independent veterinarians. Reviewing animal runs, the injury rate was documented at 0.047% (16 animals in 33,991 runs). [8]
In 2000, a survey conducted by independent veterinarians at 57 Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) rodeos found an injury rate of 0.053% (38 animal injuries in 71,743 animal exposures). [9]
A 2001 survey reported an injury rate of 0.056% in 21 PRCA rodeos (15 animals in 26,584 performances). [10]
A later[ when? ] PRCA survey of 60,971 animal performances at 198 rodeo performances and 73 sections of "slack" (competitions outside of the main competition events) indicated 27 animals were injured, i.e. 0.04%. [7]
In Australian rodeos, similar injury rates occur. Basic injuries occur at a rate of 0.072% (one in 1,405), with injuries requiring veterinary attention at 0.036% (one injury each 2,810 times an animal is used in competition). [11]
Accusations of cruelty in U.S. rodeos persist. The PRCA acknowledges they sanction only about 30% of all rodeos, another 50% are sanctioned by other organizations and 20% are completely unsanctioned. [7] Several animal rights and animal welfare organizations keep records of accidents and incidents of possible animal abuse. [12] They cite various specific incidents of injury to support their statements, [13] and also point to examples of long-term breakdown, [14] as well as reporting on injuries and deaths suffered by animals in non-rodeo events staged on the periphery of professional rodeo such as chuck wagon races and "suicide races." In terms of statistics on animal injury rate during rodeos, there appear to be no independent studies more recent than the 1994 study.
Groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) note incidents of animal injury, including an incident where a "bull [ sic ] suffered from a broken neck ..." [15] According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), practice sessions are often the scene of more severe animal welfare abuses than competitions. [16] [17] [18]
The Calgary Humane Society "opposes the use of animals for any form of entertainment in which they are placed at risk of suffering undue stress, pain, injury or death," and "opposes high risk rodeo events." [19]
Vancouver Humane Society is "opposed to rodeo because most rodeo events involve the use of fear, stress or pain to make animals perform. There is also considerable risk of injury or death for the animals." In Canada, the City of Vancouver and the District of North Vancouver have banned rodeos. [20] [21] [22] [23]
RSPCA Australia is "opposed to rodeos and rodeo schools because of the potential for significant injury, suffering or distress to the animals involved. The use of painful devices such as flank straps, spurs and electric prods contributes to suffering associated with this sport." [24]
Rodeo is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States, western Canada, and northern Mexico. Today, it is a sporting event that involves horses and other livestock, designed to test the skill and speed of the cowboys and cowgirls. American-style professional rodeos generally comprise the following events: tie-down roping, team roping, steer wrestling, Steer roping, saddle bronc riding, bareback bronc riding, bull riding and barrel racing. The events are divided into two basic categories: the rough stock events and the timed events. Depending on sanctioning organization and region, other events such as breakaway roping, goat tying, and pole bending may also be a part of some rodeos. The "world's first public cowboy contest" was held on July 4, 1883, in Pecos, Texas, between cattle driver Trav Windham and roper Morg Livingston.
Bronc riding, either bareback bronc or saddle bronc competition, is a rodeo event that involves a rodeo participant riding a bucking horse that attempts to throw or buck off the rider. Originally based on the necessary buck breaking skills of a working cowboy, the event is now a highly stylized competition that utilizes horses that often are specially bred for strength, agility, and bucking ability. It is recognized by the main rodeo organizations such as the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) and the International Professional Rodeo Association (IPRA).
Steer wrestling, also known as bulldogging, is a rodeo event in which a horse-mounted rider chases a steer, drops from the horse to the steer, then wrestles the steer to the ground by grabbing its horns and pulling it off-balance so that it falls to the ground. The event carries a high risk of injury to the cowboy. Some concerns from the animal-rights community express that the competition may include practices that constitute cruelty to animals, but the injury rate to animals is less than 0.05%. A later PRCA survey of 60,971 animal performances at 198 rodeo performances and 73 sections of "slack" indicated 27 animals were injured, again around 0.05%.
Calf roping, also known as tie-down roping, is a rodeo event that features a calf and a rider mounted on a horse. The goal of this timed event is for the rider to catch the calf by throwing a loop of rope from a lariat around its neck, dismount from the horse, run to the calf, and restrain it by tying three legs together, in as short a time as possible. A variant on the sport, with fewer animal welfare controversies, is breakaway roping, where the calf is roped, but not tied.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing animal cruelty. Based in New York City since its inception in 1866, the organization's mission is "to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States."
A puppy mill, also known as a puppy farm, is a commercial dog breeding facility characterized by quick breeding and poor conditions. Although no standardized legal definition for "puppy mill" exists, a definition was established in Avenson v. Zegart in 1984 as "a dog breeding operation in which the health of the mill’s dogs is disregarded to maintain a low overhead and maximize profits". They are cited as being a result of increased demand for household pets, especially after World War II. The Veterinary Medical Association of the Humane Society of the United States defines the main characteristics of a puppy mill as "emphasis on quantity over quality, indiscriminate breeding, continuous confinement, lack of human contact and environmental enrichment, poor husbandry, and minimal to no veterinary care."
A humane society is a group that aims to stop cruelty to animals. In many countries, the term is used mostly for societies for the prevention of cruelty to animals (SPCA). In the United Kingdom, and historically in the United States, such societies provide waterway rescue, prevention and recovery services, or may give awards for saving human life.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is a charity operating in England and Wales which promotes animal welfare.
Cruelty to animals, also called animal abuse, animal neglect or animal cruelty, is the infliction of suffering or harm by humans upon animals, either by omission (neglect) or by commission. More narrowly, it can be the causing of harm or suffering for specific achievements, such as killing animals for entertainment; cruelty to animals sometimes encompasses inflicting harm or suffering as an end in itself, referred to as zoosadism. Divergent approaches to laws concerning animal cruelty occur in different jurisdictions throughout the world. For example, some laws govern methods of killing animals for food, clothing, or other products, and other laws concern the keeping of animals for entertainment, education, research, or pets. There are several conceptual approaches to the issue of cruelty to animals.
Devocalization is a surgical procedure where tissue is removed from the vocal cords.
The Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a New Zealand charitable society who work to promote the humane treatment of animals. The society consists of 30 animal shelters and 6 vet partnerships around New Zealand, including many in regional areas. Under the Animal Welfare Act 1999, SPCA inspectors have the exclusive power to investigate animal welfare complaints and prosecute abusers when necessary. The Royal NZ SPCA has initiated a range of animal welfare campaigns. It has launched public education campaigns about the humane treatment of animals, and has encouraged people to change their behaviour towards animals. SPCA has also run advocacy campaigns aimed at promoting law changes or questioning the legality of certain practices.
The Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) is a volunteer-based, non-government organization whose goal is to prevent animal cruelty through education, animal sheltering and advocacy, based in Quezon City, Philippines. It was founded in 1954 by Muriel Jay. PAWS believes that the creation of a more peaceful society starts with the widening of mankind's circle of compassion which includes animals, thereby envisions a nation that respects animals, practices responsible pet ownership and protects wildlife. The volunteer-based organization rehabilitates these animals in the hope of finding them new homes and a second chance at a good life. PAWS does not take in pets of other people, but only victims of cruelty or neglect where the animal offenders are charged with violation of the Animal Welfare Act in court.
The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals-Angell Animal Medical Center (MSPCA-Angell) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with its main headquarters on South Huntington Avenue in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1868, and is the second-oldest humane society in the United States. "MSPCA-Angell" was adopted as the society's identity in 2003, and indicates the names of its two closely related predecessor organizations: Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Angell Animal Medical Center. The organization provides direct care to thousands of homeless, injured, and abused animals each year, and provides animal adoption, a veterinary hospital, advocacy, and humane law enforcement.
The National Animal Interest Alliance (NAIA) is a non-profit organization in the United States dedicated to promoting animal welfare and animal husbandry practices, strengthening the human-animal bond, and safeguarding the rights of responsible animal owners and professionals through research, public education and public policy. The NAIA mission is "to promote the welfare of animals."
Chuckwagon racing is an equestrian rodeo sport in which drivers in a chuckwagon led by a team of Thoroughbred horses race around a track.
Hugh John Wirth was an Australian veterinarian and animal welfare advocate in Victoria, Australia. In March 2011 he celebrated 30 years as the resident vet on 774 ABC Melbourne.
The Five Freedoms outline five aspects of animal welfare. They were developed in response to a 1965 UK Government report on livestock husbandry, and were formalised in 1979 press statement by the UK Farm Animal Welfare Council. They have been adopted by professional groups including veterinarians, and organisations including the World Organisation for Animal Health, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
RSPCA NSW is a not-for-profit charity operating in New South Wales, Australia that promotes animal welfare.
Ventilation shutdown (VSD) is a means to kill livestock by suffocation and heat stroke in which airways to the building in which the livestock are kept are cut off. It is used for mass killing — usually to prevent the spread of diseases such as avian influenza. Animal rights organizations have called the practice unethical. The addition of carbon dioxide or additional heat to the enclosure is known as ventilation shutdown plus (VSD+).
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