A long history of problems with the Calgary Zoo’s polar bear enclosures
This is not the first time that concerns have been raised about the Calgary Zoo’s keeping of polar bears.
Earlier this year, Alberta Views published an article by George Colpitts, an environmental historian at the University of Calgary, outlining the fraught history of the zoo’s polar bear enclosures. The piece explores the pattern of poor welfare and incidents that have plagued the zoo’s polar bear enclosures since they opened in 1938.
Dr. Colpitts expressed skepticism that the new exhibit, opened in December 2023, could fully meet the bears’ needs.
Polar bears and other animals show signs of boredom and stress in zoos
The VHS sent a letter to the editor outlining inherent issues with keeping animals such as polar bears, who have complex social, behavioural, and physiological needs, in captivity for the entertainment of the public.
Read the full response on page 3 of the Alberta Views opinions section, and take action to protect animals from suffering in captivity.
Content warning: The following video depicts fatal incidents and animals showing signs of stress and fear.
Take action
Take the #SayNoToRodeo pledge
The majority of Canadians disagree with the use of animals in calf roping, steer wrestling, bull and bronc riding, and chuckwagon racing. Take the #SayNoToRodeo pledge to reflect your opposition to inhumane rodeo and chuckwagon events. The number of signatures will be referenced in engagement with decision-makers.
Send a message to Calgary Stampede organizers
Send a message to the Calgary Stampede calling for an end to inhumane animal events, which result in near-annual deaths and shocking suffering. Below are some key points you may wish to consider in your message.
Please use your own words and do not copy and paste. Please also remain respectful in your message.
Why you’re writing: Reference the fatal incidents during this year’s steer wrestling event and chuckwagon races.
This is an ongoing animal welfare issue: 109 animals have died since 1986 (when tracking of fatalities began) and animals die almost every year.
Your request: That Stampede organizers remove the rodeo and chuckwagon events from the Stampede and focus instead on the many other activities and attractions that don’t put animals in harm’s way.
Animal Justice and the Vancouver Humane Society are raising concerns about a bull riding event scheduled for Prospera Place in Kelowna on July 18.
“The groups have alerted RCMP and the BC SPCA about potential violations of B.C.’s Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and Canada’s Criminal Code during the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) event.”
“‘If the event proceeds as planned on Thursday, bulls will be compelled to buck through the use of hard metal spurs and flank straps specifically designed to cause discomfort, combined with the unnatural sensation of a rider gripping tightly to their back in a loud, chaotic environment in front of thousands of spectators,’ reads a joint media release.”
VANCOUVER, July 14, 2024 – The Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) is calling for an end to the Calgary Stampede’s inhumane rodeo and chuckwagon races after a fourth animal has died in this year’s events.
In the eighth heat of the races last night, on July 13th, a horse on Obrey Motowylo’s team suffered a fracture and was euthanized. Three other animals have also been euthanized at this year’s Stampede: two horses used in the chuckwagon races on July 5th and 6th, and a steer used in a steer wrestling event on July 8th.
In total, 109 animals have been killed in the Calgary Stampede’s animal events since the VHS began tracking fatalities in 1986.
“It’s devastating to see yet another animal has lost their life in this event,” said VHS Communications Director Chantelle Archambault. “These animals are suffering and dying almost every year so humans can have a few hours of entertainment. Enough is enough.”
This is the deadliest year in the chuckwagon races since 2019, when six horses lost their lives. The high number of fatalities prompted the Stampede to reduce the number of wagons on the track from four to three; but horses have continued to die in the races each year they have been held since then.
“We continue to see that these changes are not successful in making the events safe for animals,” Archambault said.
The VHS pointed to the inherent risks associated with chuckwagon racing, including the extremely fast pace, the close proximity of horses and wagons, and the use of thoroughbred horses who are bred for speed, rather than skeletal strength.
Only 38% of Canadians and 44% of Albertans agree with the use of horses in chuckwagon racing, according to a Research Co. poll commissioned by the VHS in February 2024.
The public is shocked and disturbed as three animals have died in the first four days of the Calgary Stampede’s animal events. Animals die in the Stampede’s rodeo and chuckwagon races nearly every year, and the VHS has been advocating for an end to these inhumane and deadly events for decades.
Read the details of the latest tragic incidents in wide-reaching media coverage below, and speak up against animal suffering at the Calgary Stampede.
“The Vancouver Humane Society (VHS), which has been in opposition to the Calgary Stampede rodeo events for some time, said the death of the steer illustrates exactly why the competition should end.”
“Between 1986, when the VHS began tracking fatalities, and 2023, 105 animals lost their lives in the rodeo and chuckwagon races, the group said.”
“The Vancouver Humane Society issued a statement calling for an end to the Stampede’s animal events.”
“‘How many animals will die in these events before the Calgary Stampede does the right thing and leaves them in the past,’ Emily Pickett with the humane society said in a release.”
“The Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) is speaking out following the news of the animals’ deaths.”
“‘We know that animals died almost every year at the Calgary Stampede, but this year, animals have died almost every day,’ said VHS campaign director Emily Pickett.”
“The group claims 108 animals have died at the Stampede rodeo and chuckwagon races since it began tracking fatalities in 1986.”
“The Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) says it’s calling for an end to the Calgary Stampede’s deadly animal events after Monday’s steer wrestling event, which appeared to result in a fatal injury.”
“‘You don’t need to be an animal behaviour expert to see the fear in the eyes of a steer being wrestled to the ground. But we still have research proving that animals experience visible signs of stress and elevated stress hormones in rodeos,’ says Emily Pickett, VHS campaign director.”
VANCOUVER, July 9, 2024 – The Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) is speaking out after three animal deaths were reported in the first four days of the Calgary Stampede.
Media reports have announced that a horse who raced on Danny Ringuette’s team sustained an injury due to wagon interference during the sixth heat on Friday, July 5th and was euthanized.
The Stampede has also stated that an outrider horse on Chance Thomson’s team sustained a serious injury on Saturday, July 6th and was euthanized. The second heat, in which Thomson raced, was not aired on Sportsnet, with announcers citing an issue involving another team where the driver fell off a wagon.
The Stampede confirmed that a steer was euthanized due to a serious injury in a steer wrestling event on Monday, July 8th. The VHS noted that the injury was a result of the inherently inhumane nature of the event, in which a contestant twists a steer’s neck back until he falls to the ground.
The Stampede called Monday’s incident “highly unusual and unfortunate,” a statement that VHS Campaign Director Emily Pickett questions.
“We know that animals die almost every year at the Calgary Stampede,” said Pickett, “but this year animals have died almost every day.”
These incidents mark 108 animal deaths in the Calgary Stampede rodeo and chuckwagon races since the VHS began tracking fatalities in 1986.
A rodeo supporter contacted the VHS to say, “We did not know these were things we were going to see at the rodeo. The calf roping was also shocking. This will be the last rodeo we attend.”
Just four days into the Calgary Stampede rodeo and chuckwagon races, two horses used in the chuckwagon races and a steer used in steer wrestling have been sadly euthanized due to serious injuries.
On Friday, July 5th, a horse sustained an injury due to wagon interference during the sixth heat and was euthanized, according to media reports.
On Saturday, July 6th, an outrider horse sustained a serious injury during the second heat of the chuckwagon races and was euthanized. The heat was not aired on Sportsnet, citing an issue on another team where a driver fell out of the wagon.
On Monday, July 8th, a steer sustained a serious injury during a steer wrestling event and was euthanized. In the footage from Sportsnet, a contestant twists the steer’s neck back until the steer falls to the ground, remaining stiff and motionless. Staff rush into the arena with medical kits.
On Saturday, July 13th, a horse suffered a fracture during the eighth heat of the chuckwagon races and was euthanized.
Content warning: The following video depicts the serious injury of a steer, which results in him being euthanized.
Take action
Send a message to Calgary Stampede organizers
Send a message to the Calgary Stampede calling for an end to inhumane animal events, which result in near-annual deaths and shocking suffering. Below are some key points you may wish to consider in your message.
Please use your own words and do not copy and paste. Please also remain respectful in your message.
Why you’re writing: Reference the fatal incidents during the steer wrestling event and during the chuckwagon races.
This is an ongoing animal welfare issue: 100+ animals have died since 1986 (when tracking of fatalities began) and that animals die almost every year.
Your request: That Stampede organizers remove the rodeo and chuckwagon events from the Stampede and focus instead on the many other activities and attractions that don’t put animals in harm’s way.
67% of Canadians are opposed to the use of animals in rodeo. Take the #SayNoToRodeo pledge to reflect your opposition to inhumane rodeo and chuckwagon events. The number of signatures will be referenced in engagement with decision-makers.
Three animal deaths have been reported so far in this year’s rodeo and chuckwagon races:
Media reports have announced that a horse who raced on Danny Ringuette’s team sustained an injury due to wagon interference during the sixth heat on Friday, July 5th and was euthanized. The Stampede has also stated that an outrider horse on Chance Thomson’s team sustained a serious injury on Saturday, July 6th and was euthanized. The Stampede confirmed that a steer was euthanized due to a serious injury in a steer wrestling event on Monday, July 8th.
These tragic deaths mark 108 animal fatalities at the Calgary Stampede rodeo and chuckwagon races since the VHS began tracking in 1986.
VANCOUVER, July 9, 2024 – The Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) is calling for an end to the Calgary Stampede’s deadly animal events after Monday’s steer wrestling event, which appeared to result in a fatal injury.
Footage from Sportsnet reveals contestant Stetson Jorgensen twisting a steer’s neck back; the steer falls to the ground, remaining stiff and motionless. Jorgensen appears panicked, and the camera quickly cuts away from the animal as staff rush into the arena with medical kits. A member of the audience then makes a slicing motion across her neck, indicating the animal’s apparent death.
The VHS has inquired about the status of the steer in an email to the Calgary Stampede, but has not yet received a response.
Between 1986, when the VHS began tracking fatalities, and 2023, 105 animals lost their lives in the rodeo and chuckwagon races.
VHS Campaign Director, Emily Pickett, said the VHS has been advocating for an end to the Stampede rodeo and chuckwagon races for decades. “How many animals will die in these events before the Calgary Stampede does the right thing and leaves them in the past?”
In addition to the risk of death rodeo events pose, the VHS has raised concerns that events involving roping, bucking, and wrestling animals are inherently inhumane.
“You don’t need to be an animal behaviour expert to see the fear in the eyes of a steer being wrestled to the ground,” said Pickett, “but we still have research proving that animals experience visible signs of stress and elevated stress hormones in rodeos.”
Public approval of rodeo events continues to fall in the wake of near-annual incidents and a growing awareness about animal well-being. Only 31% of Canadians and 39% of Albertans agree with the use of animals in steer wrestling, according to a Research Co. poll commissioned by the VHS in February 2024.
The VHS is urging Stampede organizers and decision-makers to drop the deadly and inhumane rodeo and chuckwagon events from the Stampede program. The VHS is also encouraging the public to sign a pledge not to attend the rodeo and chuckwagon races as part of its Rodeo Truth project, run in collaboration with concerned Calgarians. The pledge will be shared with decision-makers to reflect public opposition of the inhumane events.
With the 2024 rodeo season underway, the VHS is raising concerns about the treatment of animals at recent rodeos in Clinton and Keremeos, including two egregious incidents at the Clinton rodeo.
The incidents have since been reported to the BC SPCA.
The VHS is also speaking out about a new round of government funding awarded to rodeos, including the Clinton rodeo.
Join the VHS in calling on the B.C. government to:
Stop providing public funding to events that include rodeos;
Do more to protect animals from inhumane treatment in rodeo events.
Cruelty allegations at the Clinton rodeo
Footage shows handlers inhumanely attempting to move a visibly stressed bull from one area to another. The bull is dragged and choked by a tightened rope around his neck and an electric prod appears to be used on the animal repeatedly, including on the animal’s anus.
Another clip shows an agitated horse being repeatedly struck in the face while in the bucking chute. The horse attempts to back away from the handler, but the handler continues to follow and strike the horse. The handler proceeds to punch the horse in the neck and the horse responds by dangerously rearing up in the chute.
Other clips capture stressed animals being roughly handled, deliberately agitated, and put at risk of serious injury.
Stress & suffering at Keremeos rodeo
Footage shows rough handling, including animals being hit, having their tail pulled and twisted, and being deliberately agitated so they burst out of the chute at high speed.
Several clips show animals being put at risk of injury, including animals falling, being choked and dragged by the rope around their neck, and limbs getting stuck in the chutes.
Other clips capture visibly stressed animals thrashing in the chutes and resisting handlers.
BC government continues to fund rodeos
This spring, the B.C. Ministry of Tourism announced a new round of public funding for B.C. events, including rodeos. Through the Ministry’s Fairs, Festivals & Events fund, more than $680,000 was awarded to events that include rodeos, including $6,400 for the Clinton rodeo.
Last year, the VHS documented animals being roughly handled, deliberately agitated, and exhibiting signs of stress and suffering at several rodeos that received B.C. government funding.
The VHS continues to strongly oppose the use of taxpayer dollars to fund rodeo events, citing systemic animal welfare issues and strong public opposition to the use of animals in rodeos. The VHS has requested a meeting with the Ministry of Tourism to discuss the matter.
VANCOUVER, July 8, 2024 – The Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) has submitted an animal cruelty report to the BC SPCA and is calling for government action after footage from a rodeo held in Clinton in May captured inhumane and possibly illegal handling of animals.
In one particularly concerning clip, a stressed bull resists handlers’ attempts to move the animal in the pens next to the arena. The clip goes on to show handlers kicking the bull, twisting his tail and using an electric prod on the animal repeatedly, including prodding the animal on the anus.
The handling seen in this footage appears to violate rules around the use of electric prods, which prohibit the use of a prod on sensitive areas, including the animal’s anus. The rules also prohibit repeated prodding of an animal that isn’t willing or able to respond.
“The treatment of this visibly stressed bull is incredibly disturbing,” said VHS Campaign Director, Emily Pickett. “We see a look of terror in the animal’s eyes, as well as tension in his body and excessive drooling, all of which are indicators of acute stress.”
The VHS has reported the video, along with another clip of an agitated bucking horse being hit repeatedly in the face, to the BC SPCA.
The VHS pointed to public polling conducted in February which found that a strong majority of British Columbians said that they would “probably” or “definitely” not watch calf roping (74%), steer wrestling (70%), bull riding (60%) and bronc riding (60%), all of which were held at the Clinton rodeo.
The poll also found that 66% of British Columbians oppose the government funding of rodeo events, while 12% were undecided. More than 4,000 members of the public called on the Minister of Tourism to end public funding of rodeos after it was announced that hundreds of thousands of dollars were awarded to events that include rodeos in 2023.
Despite public opposition, the B.C. Ministry of Tourism continues to provide taxpayer funding to events that include these rodeo activities. In 2024, more than $680,000 was awarded to events that include rodeos. The Clinton rodeo received $9,300 in 2023 and $6,400 this year.
This is not the first time the VHS has released concerning rodeo footage in B.C. In recent years, videos from other rodeos have highlighted animals being inhumanely handled and deliberately agitated. The VHS also released footage from a rodeo held in Keremeos over the May long weekend, including one video that shows a roped steer being dangerously dragged around the arena behind a fleeing roping horse.
The VHS has launched a public campaign asking that the Province stop funding rodeo events and encouraging decision-makers to do more to address inhumane rodeo events that rely on the use of fear, discomfort and stress to make animals perform. Other jurisdictions are already leading the way, including the City of Vancouver, District of North Vancouver and City of Port Moody, which all have bylaws prohibiting inhumane rodeo events and practices.