The Rodeo - Rooted in Tradition & Cruelty

​www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/12/rodeo-is-cruel-and-abusive-its-time-for-new-zealand-to-ban-it

The New Zealand Government is being taken to court over whether or not the rodeo is abusive to animals. Despite originating in the United States, New Zealand has participated in rodeo style events since the 1960's and these events have come under scrutiny in recent years. Now, SAFE & the New Zealand Animal Law Association will take the government to court in hopes of ending the rodeo and recognizing it as animal cruelty. It's going to be a messy fight but one that will hopefully see the rodeo put to an end. Let's break down some of the reasons why the rodeo is a tradition that is rooted in blatant animal cruelty.

Almost every single event in the rodeo utilizes animals to some degree and in most cases, these animals are nothing more than props to be used as rodeo organizers see fit. 

BULL RIDING

To the unsuspecting eye, one might see a bull being ridden while a human attempts to hold on without being aggressively thrown off. The fact is, those bulls are taunted, teased, and aggravated prior to being released which is why they're seen violently jerking around in order to throw off the human on top of them. It's obvious the bull is irritated and wants absolutely nothing to do with what's going on but it is forced to continue while humans jeer in the audience. One can only assume that the bull suffers psychological turmoil as a result of the continued prodding to aggravate it. These events can lead to unintended injuries sustained by both riders and bulls, indicating that it is in fact dangerous to all parties involved. How about we stick to mechanical bulls?

CALF ROPING

This one sickens me to my core and rodeo participants who argue in defense of calf roping are not considering the calves or their well-being when fighting in defense of the rodeo. Calves are released and chased down by humans on horses who attempt to lasso them around their necks and rip them to the ground. What's there to argue in defense of? These calves are 100% terrified and fearful for their lives as they flee and you can guarantee that they are emotionally and mentally tormented over these events. Not to mention the possibility of injuries sustained at the hands of being roped or slammed against the ground. To think that people sit around and cheer over a baby animal fleeing for its life and being violently roped and whipped to the ground is sickening. 

BULL FIGHTING

Of all of the events that take place at the rodeo, bull fighting is easily the most blatantly cruel of all. We've all seen the images of bulls bloodied with lances plunged into their necks and backs. This "sport" quite literally is about torturing, and inevitably killing an angry bull while onlookers jeer in excitement. There have been multiple incidents involving human injury & even death, despite this, bull fighting continues to this day. There is nothing redeemable about a "sport" that sees an innocent animal tortured and killed for fun. It's animal cruelty, 100%.

The arguments in defense of the rodeo are often lacking in real substance. One of the biggest words hurled around is "tradition" but at some point, we have to recognize that tradition is being used as a way to mask animal cruelty. Things that we did 100 years ago don't necessarily hold up today and the rodeo is the perfect example. Circus' that utilized animal performances were once widely acceptable and yet today, they are almost entirely banned, recognizing the suffering of animals. We can't hide behind tradition when animals continue to suffer and those who argue in defense of these events are doing so selfishly, hiding behind tradition as an excuse. The fact is, these events are indefensible and tradition cannot be an excuse or a reason any longer while animals suffer for our entertainment.

The rodeo has to go, there is no other option. I believe New Zealand has a better chance of ending the rodeo than the United States or Canada who stubbornly continue to advocate for these events. We must move forward as a civilization, one that recognizes that animals have just as much right to our planet's fortunes as we do. Until we recognize this, there will be no living in unison. We will continue to see animals exploited for our entertainment. We will continue to see animals suffer & tortured in the name of fun and worst of all, we will continue to see animals go extinct at the hands of humanity's lack of empathy & action.

HAPPY VEG