VANCOUVER, November 2, 2023 – The Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) is calling for a cruelty investigation after newly-released footage taken at several rodeos across British Columbia revealed stressed animals being harshly handled, agitated into fleeing and bucking, and put at risk of serious injury.
The VHS says the footage, taken from recent rodeos in Princeton, Chilliwack, Armstrong and Merritt, illustrates systemic animal welfare issues throughout the rodeo industry.
“Numerous clips show animals being hit and kicked, thrashing in the chutes, and having their tails and ears harshly pulled and twisted,” said VHS Campaign Director Emily Pickett. “This type of cruel handling is in addition to the already stressful nature of rodeo events.”
The VHS also points to a number of clips in which animals are put at risk of serious injury, including animals running into or falling over fences; calves being choked and dragged by the rope around their neck; and frightened animals resisting handlers.
“It’s hard to watch the footage, but it’s important that it be seen,” added Pickett. “This is the reality of what these animals endure in roping, bucking and wrestling events, all for the sake of public entertainment. It’s unacceptable.”
The VHS notes that standard rodeo practices cause fear, stress, pain, and discomfort to animals. In rodeo events, fleeing calves are roped around the neck, jerked to a sudden stop, and thrown to the ground before having their legs tied; horses and bulls have a flank strap tightened around their sensitive underbelly and spurs raked along their sides to agitate them into bucking; riders jump on steers and twist their necks until they fall to the ground; and steers are roped around the neck and hind leg and stretched from each end until they are brought to the ground.
Recent public polling shows that a growing majority of residents in BC (65%) and across Canada (67%) are also opposed to the use of animals in rodeo events.
The VHS has submitted a cruelty report to the BC SPCA outlining the incidents and issues captured in the footage. Concerned Canadians are also being encouraged to call on their local Mayor and Council for a bylaw that prohibits inhumane rodeo events and to ask BC’s Minister of Tourism to no longer provide public funding to events that include rodeos.
VANCOUVER, September 27, 2023 – Another horse has lost her life at Hastings Racecourse, the B.C. Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch (GPEB) has confirmed.
On September 15, two-year-old Shadesofriogrande escaped from the stable area and died after running into a wooden wall. According to the GPEB, a veterinarian determined she had suffered blunt force trauma and blood loss due to the crash.
“Shadesofriogrande’s tragic death is another in a series of devastating losses at Hastings Racecourse this year,” said Chantelle Archambault, the Communications Director at the Vancouver Humane Society (VHS). “How many more incidents will it take for organizers to address the unnecessary risks posed to these sensitive and intelligent animals, who are forced into stressful and dangerous events week after week?”
The incident comes after four horses lost their lives in just three weeks at Hastings Racecourse this summer: One Fifty One on July 16, Lent Me Twenty on July 22, Memorandum on July 30, and Eddie Who on August 6.
The VHS responded that these incidents reiterate the inherent risks of using animals for entertainment.
The VHS reached out to the GPEB September 18 inquiring about the death after receiving an anonymous tip, and received a written response yesterday, September 26.
“The GPEB’s delayed response is concerning,” Archambault added. “The public should be asking themselves what is being done to keep these horses safe; and if they can’t be kept safe, how transparent will organizers and regulators be about the tragic consequences?”
This action has now ended. Thank you to the 4,020 advocates who used the quick action to speak out against anti-transparency ag-gag bills. Please see the Current Campaigns page for more ways you can help protect farmed animals.
Bill C-275 has been sent to the House of Commons agriculture committee for further review this fall.
This federal ‘ag-gag’ bill would criminalize whistleblowers and undercover investigators who expose animal cruelty or welfare issues on farms.
Tell decision-makers to vote NO to C-275.
An ‘ag-gag’ bill that targets animal advocates and whistleblowers will soon go to a vote. Tell your Member of Parliament to say NO to Bill C-275.
While decision-makers claim Bill C-275 aims to protect on-farm biosecurity by deterring trespassers, trespassing laws already exist and the government’s own data indicates that previous disease outbreaks have been caused by poor on-farm practices from owners/operators. The standard industry practice of keeping large numbers of genetically similar animals in close confinement creates a prime environment for disease outbreak.
Similar ‘ag-gag’ bills have been implemented in other jurisdictions to further limit transparency of the animal agriculture industry and prevent undercover exposes that shed a negative light on this hidden industry.
Instead of targeting whistleblowers who expose the conditions and treatment of animals on farms, the government should be addressing the conditions and treatment directly. Following a disturbing recent undercover expose of a B.C.-based slaughterhouse, the VHS is reiterating the urgent need for more transparency and accountability within the animal agriculture sector, not less.
Join this call to action by urging federal decision-makers, including your Member of Parliament, the House of Commons Agriculture Committee, and the federal Minister of Agriculture, to say NO to Bill C-275.
Union of B.C. Municipalities delegates vote in favour of pets for renters, and guidelines being changed by provincial government.
Union of BC Municipalities delegates voted yesterday, September 21st, that BC Housing should develop strategies in support of pet-friendly housing in the non-profit sector.
The vote recognized the important physical, emotional, and mental health benefits of pet guardianship, as well as the risk of loved animals being surrendered to the shelter and rescue system if their guardians could not access pet-freindly housing.
“The approved resolution asked that the provincial government direct BC Housing to develop strategies and guidance that support pet-friendly housing in the non-profit sector.”
“Further, it asked that the government update the BC Housing strategy and work with stakeholders such as landlords and tenant associations, animal welfare organizations, public health, mental health and seniors organizations, and poverty reduction and homelessness advocates to find cooperative solutions to increase the availability and affordability of pet-friendly housing.”
This is a positive step in recognizing companion animals as an important part of many families in B.C.
Another horse has died at the Hastings Racecourse, bringing the 2023 death toll to five.
Another horse has died at the Hastings Racecourse, confirmed the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch (GPEB), the regulatory body of B.C.’s horse racing industry.
“How many more incidents will it take for organizers to address the unnecessary risks posed to these sensitive and intelligent animals, who are forced into stressful and dangerous events week after week?” VHS Communications Director Chantelle Archambault responded.
She also argued officials should be more forthcoming with information about these incidents, noting that it took the GPEB eight days to respond to VHS’s September 18 inquiry about the latest death.
“The GPEB’s delayed response is concerning,” said Archambault. “The public should be asking themselves what is being done to keep these horses safe; and if they can’t be kept safe, how transparent will organizers and regulators be about the tragic consequences?”
Protesters at Valley West Stampede in Langley say they hope to bring awareness to what they claim are unethical animal practices in rodeos.
Advocates gathered outside the Valley West Stampede rodeo Saturday to protest the suffering of animals used in rodeo. VHS Campaign Director Emily Pickett appeared in an interview with City News to discuss welfare concerns.
“These types of events take advantage of these animals’ fight and flight response,” Pickett said. “What we saw was things such as roughhousing of the animals, agitating animals in the chutes so they flee and buck in response.
“We think that this is something that causes a lot of suffering for these animals.”
VANCOUVER, September 1, 2023 – The Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) is again raising concerns about the Valley West Stampede rodeo, which returns to Langley Township this long weekend despite opposition.
Polling shows 65% of B.C. residents are opposed to the use of animals in rodeo. Overall, 67% of Canadians are opposed to the practice, up six percentage points since a similar poll conducted in April 2022.
Footage from last year’s inaugural rodeo showed frightened and stressed animals being deliberately agitated into fleeing and bucking. In the videos, a bull has his tail pulled and is struck near the face prior to a bucking event; a sheep is pushed over onto their back; and horses thrash in chutes, appearing panicked.
“This event relies on causing animals to feel fear and stress to make them ‘perform’,” said VHS Campaign Director Emily Pickett. “Inhumane rodeo events have no place in a community that values compassion and kindness.”
Despite most British Columbians opposing rodeo, the VHS pointed out that $33,700 in provincial taxpayer dollars were given to the Valley West Stampede – a portion of almost $800,000 in funding allocated to events with rodeos across B.C. Earlier this year, the VHS and nearly 2,500 concerned residents called on B.C.’s Minister of Tourism to not provide funding to events that include rodeos, but those requests were ignored.
The VHS continues to call for an end to inhumane rodeo events, including roping, wrestling, bucking and mutton busting, and urges organizers and decision-makers to prioritize alternative events that can bring communities together without putting animals at unnecessary risk of injury and death.
Concerned Langley Township residents can call on the Mayor and Council to follow the lead of other municipalities that have passed bylaws prohibiting inhumane rodeo events, including City of Vancouver, the District of North Vancouver, and most recently, Port Moody, on the VHS website.
The Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) is again raising concerns of animal suffering at the annual Chilliwack Rodeo.
Footage from this year’s Chilliwack Rodeo shows animals being subjected to fear, discomfort and stress for sake of public entertainment.
This new footage, along with similar concerning footage from last year’s Chilliwack rodeo, reinforces that animal suffering is inherent to many rodeo events, including roping, bucking, wrestling and mutton busting (kids riding sheep).
The VHS is asking residents and tourists to call on Chilliwack City Council to pass a bylaw to prohibit inhumane rodeo events.
Footage from the recent Chilliwack rodeo shows stressed and agitated animals being roughly handled, thrashing around in the chutes, and being put at risk of injury and death. Obvious signs of stress are seen throughout the footage, including excessive salivation, defecation and resisting handlers.
The VHS also documented similar animal welfare issues during last year’s Chilliwack rodeo, reinforcing the reality that many rodeo events rely on the use of fear, discomfort and stress through rough handling and the use of aversive tools (e.g. flank straps and spurs) to make animals flee and buck in response.
Footage from the recent Chilliwack rodeo shows stressed and agitated animals being roughly handled, thrashing around in the chutes, and being put at risk of injury and death. Obvious signs of stress are seen throughout the footage, including excessive salivation, defecation and resisting handlers.
Calling for removal of inhumane rodeo events
The VHS continues to urge Chilliwack Fair organizers and local decision-makers to remove inhumane rodeo events, including roping, wrestling, bucking and mutton busting from the fair’s program.
Take the steps below to support this call to action in Chilliwack and beyond.
1) Send a message to Chilliwack City Council
Send an email or follow-up email to Chilliwack City Council, calling for an end to inhumane rodeo events at the Chilliwack Fair. Respectfully share your concerns as a tourist or resident about the treatment of animals and the footage from this year’s rodeo.
In your own words, consider highlighting the following key points:
There are ongoing issues with the treatment of animals at the Chilliwack Rodeo. Footage from this year’s rodeo again shows animals being roughly handled during events, agitated in the chutes beforehand, and ultimately being put at unnecessary risk of injury and death for the purpose of public entertainment.
Signs of fear and stress are evident, including excessive drooling, defecation and resisting handlers.
I am urging Chilliwack city council to take action to end inhumane rodeo events in Chilliwack. There are many other activities at the fair that can be enjoyed without putting animals at risk. Please work with fair organizers to remove inhumane rodeo events from the fair’s program and follow the lead of other municipalities by enacting a bylaw to prohibit such events in the community.
2) Call for a bylaw prohibiting inhumane rodeo events in your community
Use the VHS’s quick action tool to call for a bylaw prohibiting inhumane rodeo events in your community.
In this month’s episode of The Informed Animal Ally, the Vancouver Humane Society’s Amy Morris and Chantelle Archambault are joined by guest Samantha Fuller to discuss how animals are impacted by rodeo, public response to rodeo events, and the future of rodeo.
Note: This written discussion has been edited for length.
Featured Guest: Samantha Fuller
Indigenous Biologist
Samantha graduated from the University of British Columbia last year where she studied and researched animal biology. Her research focused on improving the welfare of laboratory rodents, investigating attitudes toward rodeo events, and the use of animal welfare science in Indigenous wildlife stewardship. She is currently an Indigenous biologist, working with environmental science to and collaborating with Indigenous communities on their land stewardship program projects.
Calf roping event at The Calgary Stampede. Jo-Anne McArthur \ We Animals Media.
Rodeos are stressful for animals
Chantelle: Recently you conducted work researching animal welfare concerns around rodeos. The Vancouver Humane Society has also been advocating to end the inhumane use of animals and rodeos since the organization was founded in 1986. Could you speak a little bit to how rodeo events impact animals and why that issue is important?
Samantha: There’s some evidence that suggests that the methods used in rodeos can be a source of stress for the animals involved. There’s also some concerns with specific events around the safety for both the animals and the human participants.
Amy: Can you share a little bit more about those stressors in rodeo that have come up in your research and how they impact animals?
Samantha: Stress can be measured in animals using either behaviour or physiology.
In calf roping, stress hormones such as cortisol, epinephrine, norepinephrine have been seen to rise in the events. This will happen while being loading into chutes or during the roping event.
Bulls have shown escape and agnostic behaviours toward handlers, which can indicate fear distress.
Unfortunately, there’s few studies investigating specific rodeo events. But looking at other areas, we can assume there are other stressors based by the animals. For instance, transportation is a known stressor for beef and dairy cattle, and also different types of horse racing can be a source of physical stress for causing injury for the animals involved.
Training vs. provoking a fear response
Chantelle: Yeah, absolutely. You talked about fear responses in the bulls. We’ve spoken about that before on the show as well with fight, flight and freeze responses, and it’s something we can see when people use aversive training techniques.
Amy, this is something you spoke more in depth about when we did our animal training episode back in April. What would you say are some of the differences between the way that someone would train a dog and the way that animals are trained to “perform” in rodeo?
Amy: Yeah, it’s really interesting when we think about animals that are being trained with, let’s say, positive reinforcement. They’re provided an opportunity to offer the behavior that we want from them, and then they’re rewarded with something that they really like, something they love, something that makes them feel good, the moment that they show that behaviour.
For example, if a dog is walking and you make a loud noise, which let’s say is neutral stimuli that they haven’t been exposed to before, they turn their head because they heard the noise. Then they get that reward, that really good thing, and so then in the future, they’re more likely to turn their head when they hear that sound.
That’s kind of the basis of positive reinforcement. Horses can be trained this way too. Cows, even fish have been shown to be capable of learning using positive reinforcement.
But then we look at other training styles, and maybe not always training, but punishment can be used by people that add something unpleasant to decrease the behavior.
For example, a flank strap that’s really tight decreases an animal’s desire to stand still and makes them move in such a way is to try to remove that strap. One of the ways an observer can see that the strap is causing the animal to respond to it is that as soon as the time is up in rodeo, the people who are managing the rodeo animals remove the flank strap, which then leads the animal to calm down.
Much of what happens in rodeo has little to do with training. It has a lot more to do with triggering fear responses. Animals that are waiting to be released from the chute—so situations like steer wrestling and tie-down roping—may be hit or have their tails twisted while they’re in the chute. Something that makes them uncomfortable so that when the gate opens, they run out full speed.
It can also happen sometimes that animals will freeze in place and not want to leave the chute. That’s their response.
Animals used for rodeo are prey animals, so it isn’t common to see a fight response. You tend to see fleeing or freezing.
However, we know bulls can sometimes have a fight response as you would witness in bull fighting, and then sometimes you’ll see that with some of the bulls that are used for bucking, but they quickly move out of fight and into flight as soon as they’re given an opportunity to. So you can see that they still have that desire to respond to their fear by getting out of the situation.
Samantha: Yeah, I find based on the animal and the particular event, the response might be a little different. Like you said, for calf roping, there’s more of a promotion of that flight response. For bull riding, there’s more of that promotion for a fight response.
That’s kind of what they’re looking for in that instance because they’ll get scored based on how aggressive or how lively the bull is performing in that instance. The same with the horses in the bronc events. There’s definitely variations between the events of which response they’re trying to get.
Amy: Yeah, I find it really interesting. Certainly to get that difference of, okay, are these animals trained? And maybe yes, in some cases they’re trained or they’re made to grow accustomed to the way that they’re expected to perform. But it seems like often they’re motivated through fear.
Samantha: Yeah, and I think there’s a certain amount of genetic manipulation that goes on with rodeo stock as well, trying to achieve that higher scoring animal, which can obviously play in how they respond.
Amy: Right, like with the bucking behaviors.
Samantha: Primarily, I think those are the ones where there’s more genetic roles in how they select those animals.
Public attitudes to rodeo
Rodeo culture at the Calgary Stampede
Chantelle: It’s really brutal to think about what these animals are going through, but a lot of the culture around rodeo minimizes the individual experiences of animals.
And I know that part of your research was looking at attitudes toward rodeo. The VHS recently ran a campaign on ending animal suffering at the rodeo, and part of that was monitoring rodeo events.
Amy, I wanted to talk to you about that because you watched three days of the Calgary Stampede rodeo while that was underway. I was wondering what some of the things were that you observed about the rodeo culture in Calgary.
Amy: What I found most interesting was listening to the commentators as they observed the rodeo events.
There was a really big focus on money, who was going to take money away from the event, and what I understood from that is that performers depend on placing in a certain ranking to take an income from the event. So they’re incentivized to perform the way that the rodeo expects them to.
But even with that in place, there’s many situations where things go wrong, such as when calves are pulled off their feet by the rope that gets wrapped around their necks rather than put on the ground by the people who are handling them,often aggressively. In the rodeo, these instances are considered no time—their scores aren’t counted—but the animal still gets pulled off their feet.
There were quite a few of these during the Stampede. It seems like even if it potentially causes more harm in that the calves are getting pulled off their feet and maybe dragged by the horse, it seemed difficult for the person performing to manage that. Obviously they don’t want that to happen because they don’t get a score, but it was still happening quite a bit.
I also noticed there were a lot of interesting comments made about animals and their behaviour.
There’s a lot of sociology of how people describe other people or other animals, and I noticed people commenting on whether the animals are nice or not, whether they comply or behave or not. There’s also a lot of commentary about the calves straining and struggling with this expectation that they should be submitting; where we know it makes sense that an animal that’s wanting to be free and being contained is going to struggle and try to get free.
I also noticed a big emphasis on the event as being part of the circuit to qualify on a world scale. It’s a reminder that even though the event only happens once a year, the animals performing in the rodeo are often traveling frequently and long distances. Especially the different horses are going to different events throughout the season and practice sessions through the year.
Travel is stressful on everyone, humans and animals, but particularly these animals aren’t being given a choice as to whether they want to opt into that travel. Horses and cows are herd animals and they’d rather be with a group of horses and cows over being put in a trailer on their own and traveling to a loud and stressful arena.
Responses to advocacy
Amy: We shared some of the photos and videos from this event on social media, and I’m curious, Chantelle, being the person who saw all the social media comments, what are some of the ways that people respond to posts from VHS’s website, RodeoTruth.com?
Chantelle: There’s a very strong response. One thing that’s really clear is this is an issue that people feel very strongly about either way. There are people who would love to see rodeos cancelled for good, but the rodeo supporters feel just as strongly that they should be kept around forever.
I’ve noticed that people on the side of rodeo kind of move the goalposts when you’re talking about rodeo, every time you point out an issue.
So if we say that animals aren’t given choice whether to participate, people will say that, actually, animals love being in the events, so they would choose to.
But we know for a fact that animals aren’t given a choice because we see what happens to them if they try to opt out of the behaviors. For instance, we shared a video of a horse during a bucking event who instead of having the flight and fight response, had a freeze response and just stood still in the chute. That horse was just repeatedly smacked in the face. They kept opening the gate and trying to hit and push the horse out.
We shared that video and the response to that video was, well, the horse wasn’t being hit that hard; the person just slapped or pushed the horse; they weren’t punching them, and the handlers wouldn’t actually hurt the horse. The video shows that horses aren’t given a choice, but we do know that horses are hurt in these events also.
Animals are catastrophically injured and die at the Stampede quite frequently. The VHS started tracking fatalities in 1986, and since then, 105 animals have died at the Calgary Stampede. Those deaths are happening almost every year. But on the other hand, when we shared those numbers that animals actually are in fact injured and killed by these events, people will just say, those deaths just happen sometimes, or it’s not enough deaths to really worry about. But those individual animals’ lives matter and we as humans don’t need to be putting them in those situations where they’re at risk for our entertainment.
Another response we hear a lot is deflection. People will say that advocates shouldn’t be looking at this issue at all because there are all these other issues happening in the world.
That’s a technique known as whataboutism. It basically aims to distract from the topic at hand. Of course, it’s possible to care about this issue of animal suffering in rodeo and work to address other different issues at the same time. And if everyone really believed that we shouldn’t be looking at one issue because there’s another one, nothing would ever improve. There’s always going be other issues.
So in general, there’s a lot of denial, moving the goalposts, and deflections to avoid discussing the very real fear and stress and pain and risk that animals face in rodeos so that humans can carry on hosting these events and participating in them and watching them.
At the same time, it’s clear that public opinion is increasingly critical of how animals are treated in rodeos. So I think that the fact that there is such strong pushback to criticism of these events shows that the industry is concerned about how the future of rodeo is going. Maybe this is not something that is sustainable to continue.
Amy: I think some of those observations apply to any type of advocacy or change.
Polling results on rodeo attitudes
Amy: Samantha, you recently collected some data about people’s perceptions of rodeo events and their responses to rodeo footage. What did you learn from that?
Samantha: People’s attitudes seem to be guided by a couple things, including:
the perceived cultural value of the event;
how the animals are treated; and
the risk and safety of the event.
And these are most influenced by like that person’s attitudes towards animal use in general.
There’s kind of these two ends of the spectrum.
On one side, somebody will think all animal use is okay, so all of these events are okay. And then on the other side, there’s no animal use is okay, so no event is okay. And these are kinda like hypothetical endpoints. Most people fall within kind of this gradient of how they view the use of animals.
Public perceptions of 4 rodeo events
And in this study in particular, it seemed to also be influenced by the species in the particular event and the age of the animal. For this study, we looked at four events:
Barrel racing;
Chuckwagon racing;
Bull riding; and
Calf roping.
In general, most people approve of the events using horses. I think there’s this relationship or perceived relationship between horses and riders, so most people think that horseback riding is okay. As a result, most people approved of barrel racing. For this event in particular, people recognize the importance of the place of women in rodeos.
There was a slight decrease in the approval of chuckwagon races, and this was due to the fact that a lot of people thought there was more risk involved in the event because of the number of horses and the proximity of the wagons.
More people disapproved a bull riding and felt like the animal was being exploited and angered for the sake of entertainment. Bull riding was most polarized in terms of the cultural significance. Some people in the U.S. in particular said it was in our all-American sport, it needs to be conserved; while others thought the event was barbaric and outdated.
It’s important to note for chuckwagon racing and bull riding, there was a lot of uncertainty in whether people approved or disapproved. And this might be due to like a lack of information or they’re kind of unable to pick which value is more important to them, the cultural aspect or the potential of harm to animals.
Finally, people most disapproved the calf roping event. People identified the age of the animal as a concern, referring to the calf a lot of the time as a small baby, which in turn may have led to them to perceive more stress and injury involved in the event. Some participants who approved of calf roping thought it showcased a vital skill for the meat industry in general.
Amy: What were you surprised by with all of these research findings?
Samantha: I thought it was interesting how much cognitive dissonance was present regarding animal use and entertainment.
Cognitive dissonance is a stress response when people have information that doesn’t align with their beliefs. And like you said, it can result in people either, discounting information or they’ll provide some sort of explanation to justify their beliefs.
In this study, the contradicting information was the safety and animal treatment versus this cultural value and historical value of the event.
People who approve of high levels of animal use don’t necessarily associate negative states to the animals, or they’ll even say the animal is enjoying the event. They are also more likely to say that training of participants and the rules in place or government rules protect the animals and the people from getting hurt, as another justification to those perceived risks.
And then on the other side, people who disapprove of all animal use were more likely to associate these negative animal welfare and risks, but they’re also more likely to disvalue any cultural significance. They would say things like, rodeos are like a Greek Colosseum and the viewers are violence seeking.
So there’s definitely this divide and this polarization.
Amy: Yeah, it’s really interesting because I think about just the ways that the animals experience the event, and then the ways that people think that they’re experiencing the event.
Based on the scientific evidence we have of animal behaviour, it can be drastically different.
We had one email from someone who said basically that they thought that the wild pony racing (a children’s event at the Calgary Stampede where the kids try to mount a pony that’s trying to get away and doesn’t want to be mounted) was important because the ponies almost always “win”. And winning means getting away, not getting mounted by the children. I thought that was really interesting because animals don’t have a concept of winning and losing; of competing against each other or competing against the children.
They aren’t winning exactly, but maybe they’re getting away or avoiding the stimuli that they find aversive. But the idea that we put that label on them gave me a real insight into how people shape their ideas about animal behavior.
How will survey data be used?
Chantelle: Samantha, this is really fascinating data. How do you think this could be used in the future?
Samantha: Survey data can help researchers identify the areas the public’s concerned about, and inform possible areas of future studies.
For example, providing more information about chuckwagon racing and bull riding—the events that there is a little bit more uncertainty about—could impact the approval of these events or clarify some of the perceptions around these events. Or, adding safety precautions to events that people are perceiving the safety risks such as chuckwagon races could also improve the acceptance and in turn the welfare of these events.
Amy: Is there anything you didn’t ask in the survey that now that you’ve gone through that process, that you’d want to study or ask in the future?
Samantha: Yeah, with these fairly strong opinions about culture and animal use, I think it would be interesting to investigate this a little further by providing potential changes or refinements that could happen in events and see if there’s still that cultural and entertainment value to it, as well as maybe a lower perceived risk.
For an example, if in calf roping you use the mechanical calf or breakaway ropes, which are ropes that once the animal’s caught it kind of releases the tension and breaks away, would they still find this event entertaining?
Amy: I’d be curious about that as well. Certainly I’ve seen people ride on mechanical bulls and have a great time. There’s so much scoring that goes down to the animals that I’m so curious if you took away the scoring of the animals and just had people be scored, it would be a little bit more consistent and maybe make it more of a sport.
So curious to see where the future takes us with rodeo.
Dropping animal events would not impact Stampede attendance
Amy: VHS actually gathered some polling data about opinions towards rodeos. Chantelle, I was wondering if you could talk about the findings from that poll.
Chantelle: Certainly. During last year’s stampede, the Vancouver Humane Society commissioned a Research Co. poll of Calgary residents to ask about their current plans to attend the Stampede; so if they were going to attend that year or if they had already attended that year, and also if they would attend in a future year if the rodeo and chuckwagon events were removed.
The poll found that there was virtually no change in attendance if those the rodeo and chuckwagons were dropped. 64% of people said they had attended that year or were likely to attend, and 63% said they would be likely to attend without the chucks and rodeo.
So although we’ve assumed the Stampede has continued hosting those inhumane animal events out of financial motivation, we can see that dropping them really wouldn’t have much impact on attendance at all.
The poll also showed that removing those events would draw in new crowds. 24% of people who didn’t attend last year expressed an interest in attending the Stampede if it didn’t have rodeo and chuck wagon racing.
Of the people who hadn’t attended and would change their behaviour, the biggest change was in the youngest group of people, where about two out of five non-attendees from last year (aged 18-34) would be likely to attend if the rodeo and chuckwagon races were removed.
That makes sense; we’ve heard from many people who won’t attend because of the animal suffering.
Beyond the animal events, there is another draw: the Stampede is a major arts and culture event. The concerts alone draw in hundreds of thousands of people every year. Coverage in the news of this year’s event pointed out that the events that do cause animal deaths almost every year don’t really resonate with the crowds coming for the concerts.
As there’s more information available and people are becoming more aware of what animals go through and how they experience the world, it would make sense for the Stampede to lean more into the concerts and the arts and the midway elements and start moving toward a rodeo-free future that’s more in line with the public’s values.
What’s next?
Amy: Thinking about what impacts that we can have, what can the people listening to this podcast do to support individual animals’ needs being met and their wants and desires being cared for, and put an end to some of these inhumane practices?
Chantelle: So there are really two major factors that are going to help end inhumane rodeo practices, and those are public opinion and policy change.
The first step is fewer people buying tickets and attending rodeos. The industry’s main motivation is profit, of course. So if people aren’t spending their money supporting those events, there’s really no financial motivation to continue them.
You can help with this by sharing the posts from the Rodeo Truth page on social media to show the realities of what animals experience in rodeo and encourage other people to boycott rodeo events.
The City of Port Moody in B.C. recently passed a bylaw unanimously to prohibit inhuman rodeo events. The City of Vancouver and the District of North Vancouver also have bylaws in place.
This is a really impactful step, whether you live somewhere that hosts rodeos or not. If you live somewhere that doesn’t host rodeos currently, a proactive ban can be really important because it prevents new rodeos from being introduced, and it helps to grow the precedent for other municipalities to follow suit.
You can also take the Say No to Rodeo Pledge on the Rodeo Truth website, which we’ll share with Stampede organizers and Calgary decision-makers to show them that the public opposes those events.
