A Reader's View: Rodeos belong in the Dark Ages

August 15, 2008 
Mount Vernon Register-News

The front-page bull riding story is just that: “Bull.” Good reporters should know that “fair and balanced” reporting is the name of the game.

Here’s the real deal. Rodeos belong in the Dark Ages. Many towns, cities, states and countries have realized this and have made moves to eliminate or restrict this cruel, needless excuse for entertainment. People all across America are rejecting rodeo abuse.

Rodeos are a bunch of “cowboy wannabes” that pretend they are riding wild rank animals. Most of these little “cowboy wannabes” are really “city slickers.”

SHARK (Showing Animals Respect and Kindness) is an animal protection group out of Geneva, Illinois. They are the real rodeo “professionals.”

Here’s some of SHARK’s successes for the rodeo animals in 2008. SHARK investigators captured horses being shocked with 5,000 volts of painful electricity to make them buck and appear “wild.”

The shocking was done in violation of the Hot-Shot manufacturer’s guidelines and the PRCA’s supposed “humane rules.” The abuse received major media attention across the country, and exposed the rodeos rules for the sham they are, once again.

SHARKS cameras documented the shocking violations in 2008 at:

World’s Toughest Bulls and Broncs Rodeo, Peoria; National Western Stock Show and PRCA rodeo, Denver, Colo.; La Fiesta de Los Vaqueros, PRCA Rodeo, Tucson, Ariz. You can view footage of the abuse by visiting TheCruelTruth.com.

The most deadly event in rodeo was stopped at Rodeo Killeen in Texas, and the stock contractor was replaced. SHARK filmed calves, steers and horses being shocked (in violation of a Killeen city ordinance), animals being hit and poked with steel rods and their tails twisted and dragged over steel bars at this rodeo. George Fox of the Assisi Animal Refuge in Texas used SHARKS footage and persevered to convince the local authorities to conduct an investigation. The outcome declared steer busting will no longer be a part of Rodeo Killeen!

Rodeos body slam baby animals down hard enough to break their backs.

They injure and kill untold numbers of animals and call it “family entertainment.” Yep, it’s the rodeo at its lowest —pretending to be the best of the All-American cowboys instead of the conniving cheats they really are.

Check out RodeoCruelty.com to see more of SHARK’S recent headlines!

Shirley Riley

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