A recent poll of Canadians about a range of animal issues is cause for optimism in the animal protection movement.
The poll, by respected polling company Research Co., found that majorities of Canadians are opposed to using animals in rodeos (59%); hunting animals for sport (85%); keeping animals in zoos or aquariums (52%) and killing animals for their fur (75%).
These results are encouraging but they may contain even more positive news when the survey sample is broken down by age and gender.
On a number of these issues, higher percentages of women and younger people oppose the exploitation of animals (which is consistent with other polling on animal issues). For example, while 59% of all Canadians oppose using animals in rodeos, 67% of women and 64% of people aged 18-34 take that position. Similarly, while 52% of Canadians oppose keeping animals in zoos and aquariums, 56% of women and 56% of the 18-34 age group are opposed.
Even on the animal-related issue of eating meat, where a significant minority of Canadians (19%) oppose eating animals, the poll found opposition higher among women (22%) and those aged 18-34 (25%).
On a number of animal welfare issues polling shows greater opposition to animal exploitation among younger people.
All this may bode well for animals in the future, as the younger generation moves up the demographic ladder and replaces the older generation.
The same may be true of the support for animal welfare from women, but this could depend on whether women continue to gain more social power and status in fields such as politics and media. Progress in these areas has been slow.
In October 2019, Canada elected 98 women to the federal House of Commons. Women now represent 29% of the 338 elected Members of Parliament, up from 27% in the last parliament. However, a recent report found that, based on the rate of change over the last five federal elections, it will take 87 years before gender parity is reached in our national elected chamber. There are currently no female provincial premiers. Another study found that women accounted for just 29% of all people quoted in major Canadian media, compared to 71% for men.
While polls show women tend to be more supportive of animal welfare, the gender gap in politics and media suggests their voices may not be heard in the public discourse on animal issues. This photo of current provincial premiers illustrates why that might be the case.
If women and younger people gain stronger voices in Canada’s public discourse, it’s possible that animal welfare issues will garner more attention, and the opposition to the abuse and exploitation of animals will grow. If so, the future for animals might be brighter than we think.
Earlier this year, we were dismayed to see two events staged in Abbotsford that saw bulls tormented and taunted for the sake of entertainment.
One was an “extreme rodeo” event held at Abbotsford’s Exhibition Park, some of which can be seen in this video. It’s clear that the bulls want no part of this sad spectacle. VHS complained to Abbotsford City Council, which owns the venue, but received no response.
The other was a Professional Bull Riders (PBR) event at the Abbotsford Centre, a venue also owned by the City of Abbotsford. Again, bulls were exploited for human amusement, obviously distressed as they bucked wildly to get unwanted riders off their backs. In addition, they were exposed to loud fireworks despite the fact that sudden noise is known to cause distress in cattle.
Bull-riding has become popular in recent years, as fans see it as a sensational contest between “man and beast.” Few people feel empathy for the bulls, as they weigh us much as 2000 pounds and are seen as ferocious and powerful. PBR and rodeo promoters say the bulls are star “athletes” and are born to buck, even though they have no choice but to participate.
Why do bulls buck?
The truth is that the bulls are selectively bred for a predisposition to buck, which means they are especially sensitive to any negative stimulus, such as the riders they are trying to buck off. This is thought to be an evolutionary response to a predator jumping on the bull’s back. In other words, the bull feels it is under attack and is fighting for its life. The wild bucking seen at these events does not occur outside the arena.
In addition to being mounted by the unwanted rider, a “flank strap” is cinched tight around the bull’s torso just before it is released into the arena. This causes the bull discomfort, creating yet further negative stimulus to induce the bull to buck harder. One study on bucking bulls puts it very clearly: “The purpose of the flank rope is to produce an annoyance to the bull.”
A bull showing “eye white” – a sign of fear and stress
. While the rodeo and bull-riding industries deny bulls are suffering, it is clear to any objective observer that the bulls’ wild bucking is an unnatural, negative experience. One indicator of the bulls’ distress is the presence “eye white” (an increase in the size of the white of the eye surrounding the pupil), which can be seen in photos of bull-riding events. Eye white has been identified as sign of fear and distress in cattle. One 2017 study states: “The work to date suggests that eye white percentage is a meaningful indicator of emotion, with more eye whites indicating fear and frustration and less eye white associated with positive feelings.”
Although it is difficult to see what happens behind the scenes in the chutes before a bull is released, there have been instances at rodeos where bulls have been kicked, had their tails twisted or have been electrically shocked – all to ensure bulls leave the chutes angry, fearful and bucking wildly. VHS exposed the use of an electric shock device at the Chilliwack rodeo’s bull-riding event in 2018.
While bulls can exhibit aggressive behaviour, they are not the inherently “mean” or “ornery” animals described by PBR promoters. Their levels of aggressive behaviour are determined by a mix of breeding and environment. For example, if they are isolated from the herd and put in an unfamiliar setting they are likely to be more aggressive. Otherwise, aggressive behaviour is manifested when bulls are provoked – such as being mounted by an unwanted rider or stressed by a flank strap.
Bucking bulls are also “trained” through the use of dummies, which are metal weights placed on their backs and released when they buck their hardest, thus conditioning the bull to buck harder to gain relief from the distress caused by the weight.
Physical harm to bulls
There is evidence that bucking bulls may suffer physical damage from the events they are forced to participate in. A 2017 study states that: “Results indicated bucking bulls were more likely than nonbucking bulls to develop horn and sinus disorders and musculoskeletal disorders of the vertebral region and pelvic limbs.”
While there are no independent statistics on bull injuries, there are certainly instances of bucking bulls suffering catastrophic injuries, such as in this video.
Injuries to humans
Although not an animal welfare issue, it is well known that bull-riding causes numerous injuries to human participants. A 2007 research paper comparing injury rates in various sports found that bull-riding had an injury rate 10 times greater than American football. The report concluded: “As a result of these analyses, it is a simple matter to conclude that there is a universal difference in the injury rates between bull riding and most other sports; and these authors, therefore, are compelled to declare the sport of bull riding to be the most dangerous organised sport in the world.” An earlier study suggests about 10 per cent of bull-riding injuries are concussions.
The PBR glorifies the danger of bull-riding, even producing a videos of the worst “wrecks” at its events. Many boys and young men are drawn to the macho culture, money and adrenalin rush of bull-riding, despite the high risk of long-term physical harm, including potential brain damage.
Take action
Despite being inhumane to bulls, as well as unduly dangerous to humans, bull-riding has grown in popularity. VHS is urging the public to complain to the venues that host PBR and rodeo bull-riding events.
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Tell the Calgary Stampede to end inhumane rodeo events
Photo: Jordan Rivers \We Animals Media This summer, the VHS and supporters were hard at work advocating to end the suffering of animals in rodeos. Calgary Stampede This year’s Calgary Stampede rodeo and chuckwagon races were the deadliest of the past five years, resulting in the deaths of four animals: three horses used in chuckwagon…
Photos: Jo-Anne McArthur \ We Animals Media A NEW report from the Vancouver Humane Society highlights: This year’s deadly Calgary Stampede rodeo and chuckwagon races, with four animal fatalities and footage of inhumane handling of animals; Groundbreaking polling that reflects a significant increase in public opposition to rodeo events and government funding; 9600+ signatures on…
This is what happened to animals at the Chilliwack rodeo
The past weekend, the annual Chilliwack Fair’s rodeo once again saw animals tormented for the sake of entertainment – graphically illustrated in the photos below. It’s the last full rodeo left in the Lower Mainland and we’d like to see it end. If you agree, please let the Chilliwack Fair know by sending them a polite email at info@chilliwackfair.com
VHS will be taking further actions in the coming weeks, including identifying sponsors.
Bucking horse at Calgary Stampede. Photo: Jo-Anne McArthur
Let Jann Arden know that rodeo is cruel – see actions below.
Singer Jann Arden, long known as an animal lover, has been named as a joint-parade marshall for the Calgary Stampede parade, the event that kicks off the ten-day rodeo, fair and chuckwagon races.
The announcement is a surprise, given Arden’s previously stated opposition to the chuckwagon races, shown in this tweet from 2013:
Presumably, she is aware of the 65 horses that have died in the Stampede’s chuckwagon races since 1986? That includes 11 dead horses since the Stampede’s much-publicised new “safety measures” were implemented in 2011.
Arden’s decision is also surprising and disappointing given her support for animal causes, including opposition to the Alberta government’s cull of wild horses. Perhaps she isn’t aware that the Calgary Stampede also culls unwanted horses, as revealed by media in 2012. As CTV News reported at the time, “For the first time, the Calgary Stampede is admitting that horses that don’t make the cut to compete in the famous rodeo are sent to an Alberta slaughterhouse for meat.”
In 2014, Arden described her opposition to the Alberta horse cull and her feelings about horses, stating: “They just need to be treated with respect. I know there needs to be some sensibility, but why does the fucking solution have to always be killing something?” Yet killing is the Stampede’s solution to unwanted bucking horses. Isn’t there a double-standard here?
Perhaps Arden is not aware of Stampede’s horse culling policy but is she also unaware of what happens to other rodeo animals?
Does she know that steers died in the Stampede rodeo’s steer-wrestling event in 2014 and 2013?
Steer-wrestling involves riders jumping onto steers and twisting their necks until they fall to the ground. Both steers had to be euthanized because of neck injuries.
Steer-wrestling has nothing to do with real ranch work. It was invented for rodeo in the 1930s. It’s just entertainment.
Perhaps Arden is unaware of the suffering of other rodeo animals such as the three-month-old calves that are chased, roped, thrown to the ground and tied up. Or the steers that are roped by the horns and hind legs and stretched off their feet. Or the bulls and bucking horses that are tormented into bucking by the flank strap tightened around their hindquarters. And all these animals suffer for the mere amusement of a crowd.
Does Arden care that virtually all animal welfare agencies around the world are opposed to rodeos – organizations like the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies and the national SPCAs of the United States, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the UK.
And does she care that most of her fellow Canadians are opposed to rodeo, with a recent poll showing that only three-in-ten Canadians are in favour of using animals in rodeos?
Let Jann Arden know that rodeo is cruel
If you think Jann Arden needs to rethink her support of the Calgary Stampede, please let her know.
Below are some actions you can take to send her a message.
You can tweet one of the messages below by clicking on it. (You will need to be logged in to Twitter.):
CBC Sports has confirmed to VHS that it will once again broadcast the Calgary Stampede’s rodeo and chuckwagon races in July. Despite severe budget cuts to its sports coverage, the CBC apparently is keeping its rodeo coverage intact.
VHS has explained to CBC Sports executives that rodeo is considered inhumane by virtually all major animal welfare agencies, including the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies and the national SPCAs of the United States, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom (where it has been outlawed since 1934).
We have pointed out the obvious fact that roping animals to a sudden halt or twisting their necks until they are bent to the ground will cause fear, pain and stress. We have asked them how this could possibly be considered entertainment.
We have also noted that the CBC’s television coverage of calf-roping ensures that the camera pans away from the calf as it hits the end of the rope. That way, viewers will never see the calf violently jerked off its feet. If what happens to the calf is not fit for the general public to see, how can the CBC condone the event by covering it?
We sent CBC Sports a link to this video showing a bull being kicked in the head at the Stampede. We had no reply. Meanwhile, animals continue to be tormented for the sake of entertainment at the Stampede, like these ponies. The CBC doesn’t seem to want to face the truth about rodeo.
We’re asking Canadians who care about animals to let CBC Sports know how they feel about the Calgary Stampede broadcasts. Please take a minute to sign our petition calling on Trevor Pilling, Head of Programming at CBC Sports, to stop broadcasting rodeo animal cruelty at the Calgary Stampede.
Does she know that steers died in the Stampede rodeo’s steer-wrestling event in 2014 and 2013?
Does Arden care that virtually all animal welfare agencies around the world are opposed to rodeos – organizations like the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies and the national SPCAs of the United States, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the UK.
