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PAWS calls for an immediate end to rodeo activities which harm animals

It is bad enough that they will be slaughtered later on for their meat, but it’s even worse that they are subjected to physical and psychological abuse for the sake of sport and entertainment.

The recent viral video of a young cow trying to escape a rodeo by swimming almost two kilometers into the sea gives us a glimpse of how terrifying rodeos are for them. Many of them are just over a year old, “yearlings”, and are essentially baby cows being wrestled to the ground by grown men.

What really happens at rodeos?

Young cows, 1.5 to 2 years old, are thrown into a ring and are subjected to various violent acts, such as suddenly being lassoed, ridden on recklessly, or wrestled to the ground. They are no longer considered as calves but are not considered adult cows yet. They are obviously terrified in these rodeos and their right to be free from distress, pain, and injury is clearly violated.

PAWS has gotten information that on average, around three persons are injured in these rodeos each time. However, the damage and injury to animals is not documented, much less publicized—it is as if they do not matter. They are treated simply as an ingredient to a cruel sport.

Rodeos are legal when organizers secure permits from the Bureau of Animal Industry. It is often claimed that they are done to train animal husbandry personnel on how to subdue cows to vaccinate or treat them. But is there really a need for outdated cowboy practices when we’ve taken leaps and bounds in the care, nurturing, and farming of these animals from whom we gain so much?

PAWS also wishes to express being thoroughly disappointed with veterinarians who participate in or watch these events. There is a huge disconnect in being workers for the health and welfare of animals while, at the same time, finding pleasure in seeing animals in distress or dying.

We call for an immediate end to rodeo activities where animals are mistreated. We urge the Department of Agriculture to implement stricter regulations to protect the welfare of cows and other animals involved in sporting activities and in events that simply serve as a source of entertainment.

PAWS knows that it is an uphill battle always to go against long-standing practices that hurt animals. However, from decades of campaigning, we have seen that if enough people say “no more,” then we can help turn the tide for animals.

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