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.
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.
A steer that was injured during the Calgary Stampede’s rodeo competition on Monday night had to be euthanized, the second animal to die during this year’s competition, event organizers confirmed.
“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.”
CALGARY – A third animal has been euthanized at the Calgary Stampede’s rodeo competition.
“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.”
Calgary Stampede officials say a horse and a steer have sustained injuries that led to them being put down.
“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 Calgary Stampede rodeo has already seen three animal deaths this year, and it’s sparking outrage from animal rights advocates.
“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.”
Footage from the Calgary Stampede on July 8, 2024 shows a steer being wrestled to the ground. He appears to sustain a fatal neck injury before staff rush into the arena with medical kits and a member of the crowd makes a motion indicating he has been euthanized. Footage: Sportsnet.
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.
Footage from the Calgary Stampede on July 8, 2024 shows a steer being wrestled to the ground. He sustains a serious injury before staff rush into the arena with medical kits. The Calgary Stampede has confirmed that the steer was euthanized as a result of this injury. Footage: Sportsnet.
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.
Footage from the Calgary Stampede on July 8, 2024 shows a steer being wrestled to the ground. He appears to sustain a fatal neck injury before staff rush into the arena with medical kits and a member of the crowd makes a motion indicating he has been euthanized. Footage: Sportsnet.
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.
New footage from the 2024 Clinton rodeo in British Columbia captures concerning treatment of animals, including rough handling, risk of injury, and stress and fear responses in animals. Take action to support an end to inhumane rodeo events at: vancouverhumanesociety.bc.ca/rodeos
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.
“Just because something is traditional is no reason to do it, of course.”
This sentiment was written by beloved children’s author Daniel Handler, more widely known by his pen name Lemony Snicket. It has also become the centre of a culture war that has taken root in Calgary over a controversial part of the city’s most famous event: the Calgary Stampede’s rodeo and chuckwagon races.
The Stampede plays host to some of the city’s most iconic attractions, showcasing Calgary’s vibrant culture and arts scene. Sadly, the celebratory mood is soured by a few outdated and cruel events.
Cowboy culture takes root in rodeo
When the first rodeo took place at the Calgary Stampede in 1912, the romanticized image of cowboy culture was fresh in the minds of North Americans. In actuality, open-range cattle ranchers were an American import and were only common in Canada from the late 1870s to the early 20th century.
Though the movement certainly didn’t define a large part of our nation’s history, the romantic idea of cowboys was married with the draw of the agricultural fair to present rodeo for entertainment purposes.
The public was once captivated by the fast pace of rodeo, which involves animals being agitated with tools like uncomfortable flank straps or practices like ear pulling and tail twisting. These methods provoke the animals’ “fight or flight” fear response, leading to bulls and horses bucking or calves and steers bursting out of the chute to be chased and roped or wrestled to the ground.
But times have changed; the public expects better for animals.
Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals Media.
Rodeo falls behind public’s welfare expectations
Unlike the requirements for on-farm handling of the same animals, the practices used in rodeo have failed to evolve with changing public attitudes. Canadians have greater expectations of transparency and humane treatment of animals on farms. The National Farm Animal Care Council’s Beef Cattle Code of Practice, which provides guidelines for the care and handling of beef cattle in Canada, requires “quiet handling techniques” to be used.
Quiet handling would make many rodeo events impossible, but animals are paying the price for the continued use of stressful methods and fast-paced events. The Stampede sees near-annual animal deaths in the rodeo and chucks.
Near-annual animal deaths a stain on celebrations
Since 2000, there have only been three years of the Stampede in which no fatalities were reported: 2003, 2016, and 2021. The Stampede’s deadliest event, chuckwagon racing, was cancelled in 2021 due to pandemic concerns.
In total, 105 animals have died at the Stampede since the Vancouver Humane Society began tracking fatalities in 1986, including 75 horses used in the chuckwagon races.
These high-profile deaths, along with a growing body of evidence showing that animals experience stress, fear, and pain in rodeo events, are changing the hearts and minds of the public.
Polling reflects changing opinions
A Research Co. poll conducted in February this year shows that more than half of Albertans disagree with the use of animals in steer wrestling, calf roping, and bronc riding. When presented with photos of calf roping, 60% of Albertans and 62% of Calgarians said they would not watch the event.
Evidently, the look of fear in the eyes of a calf as he is chased, thrown to the ground, roped, and dragged by his neck while the oblivious contestant walks off celebrating is enough to put most people off the so-called sport. Perhaps this is why the Calgary Stampede website’s depiction of calf roping (euphemistically deemed “tie-down roping”) only features a contestant and horse, with the rope mysteriously disappearing out of frame.
Screenshot: CalgaryStampede.com
Rodeos losing steam elsewhere
Rodeo’s dwindling popularity is already making waves elsewhere. Last year, the City of Red Deer bade farewell to the Canadian Finals Rodeo after four of its five years of hosting resulted in financial loss.
Many cities across North America and nations across the globe have banned rodeos, limited events, or prohibited tools such as electric prods, flank straps, and sharpened spurs, which are used before and during events to control animals or provoke desired behaviours. These include Vancouver, British Columbia; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; New York, New York; Los Angeles, California; parts of Brazil; the United Kingdom; and the Netherlands.
Increasingly, public values are leading a change in the way we view the use of animals in entertainment. Rodeo is becoming a symbol of outdated cruelty, much like the once-popular use of performing animals in circus acts or dolphins trained to jump through hoops in aquarium shows.
The future of the Calgary Stampede
Surely Stampede organizers are aware that they must adapt to changing interests and attitudes. The “Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth” would not have survived more than a century if it insisted on staying the same.
The Stampede has evolved to grow its Midway into the sprawling icon it is today. It has added new exciting exhibits and events, including a host of concerts that draw hundreds of thousands of spectators each year. Yet, in its animal events, the Stampede remains stuck in the past. It has become a symbol of stagnancy and division rather than progress and unity.
If the Calgary Stampede is looking to the future, one thing is certain: cruelty has no place there.
The 2024 Calgary Stampede is underway from July 5-14, and with it comes the controversial rodeo and deadly chuckwagon races that result in animal fatalities nearly every year.
To date, at least 105 animals have died at the Calgary Stampede since tracking began in 1986.
The VHS continues to call on the Calgary Stampede to cut the cruelty and keep the fun.
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.
Follow & share Rodeo Truth
Check out RodeoTruth.com for more information about the rodeo and chuckwagon races at the Calgary Stampede. This public awareness project is a collaboration between the Vancouver Humane Society and concerned Calgarians.
To keep spreading the word about why the Calgary Stampede should buck inhumane animal events, follow Rodeo Truth on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok and share the posts.
Learn more
Near-annual fatalities
Nearly every year, there are animal deaths at the Calgary Stampede. 105 animals have lost their lives at the Stampede since 1986, when the VHS began keeping track. Most deaths occur during the chuckwagon races due to the fast pace and close proximity of the horses and wagons.
Injuries and deaths may also be underreported, as it can take up to 48 hours after an incident for an injury to present.
Screenshot: CBC News
Animal welfare concerns
Many rodeo events rely on the use of fear, stress, and discomfort to make animals flee and buck through tools and methods like spurs, flank straps, and rough handling. This also puts them at unnecessary risk of injury and death.
Animals demonstrate visible signs of stress during rodeo events, including the presence of “eye white” when their eyes roll back, excessive salivation, vocalization, resisting handlers, and urination and defecation. Research demonstrates that calves experience acute stress and negative emotional states when they are chased and roped.
Many rodeo events contradict industry requirements for the handling of farmed animals, which state that quiet handling techniques must be used and that abusive handling is unacceptable. If these rodeo practices were used on farms, they would be illegal.
Photo: Jo-Anne McArthur/We Animals Media
Growing public opposition
Public polling in recent years reflects growing opposition to rodeo:
2022 poll: Removal of the rodeo and chuckwagon events from the Stampede program would have virtually no impact on attendance rates and would bring in new crowds.
2024 poll: More than half of Calgarians oppose government funding being provided to rodeo events. Nationally, almost two thirds of Canadians also oppose such funding being given to rodeos.
With the 2024 rodeo season underway, the VHS continues to campaign for an end to inhumane rodeo events. This includes reaching out to decision-makers at various levels about growing public opposition to rodeo and the harms of roping, wrestling, and bucking events.
Last year, the VHS shared footage from harmful rodeo events across B.C. and encouraged supporters to reach out to their local decision-makers to ban these events. An opinion piece published in the Daily Hive in November entitled “A stressful and fear-filled glimpse into an animal’s first rodeo” outlined the welfare concerns around rodeo, highlighting recent footage from a steer riding event in Merritt.
Newly released footage from several B.C. rodeos reveals recurring animal welfare issues, including animals being hit, kicked, and having their tail and ears twisted and pulled.
To date, around 6,000 people have used the VHS’s quick action tool to share footage from recent rodeos with their local city council and to call for a bylaw to prohibit inhumane rodeo events in their community.
Meanwhile, the VHS is working with concerned Calgarians to call for an end to the controversial rodeo and deadly chuckwagon races at the Calgary Stampede. In May, the VHS launched a new billboard campaign to raise awareness of how animals suffer when used in rodeo events. The billboards will run across Calgary leading up to, during, and after the Calgary Stampede. The billboards have been shared by major Calgary media including CTV News Calgary, Global News, and the Daily Hive.
The billboards also draw attention to new polling conducted by Research Co., commissioned by the VHS, which found that more than half of Calgarians oppose government funding of rodeo events. The poll also found that more than half of Albertans disagree with the use of animals in steer wrestling (54%), calf roping (51%), and bronc riding (51%). When presented with photos of calf roping, 60% of Albertans and 62% of Calgarians said they would “probably” or “definitely” not watch the event.
Nationally, more than half of Canadians disagree with the use of animals in the five rodeo events surveyed: steer wrestling (61%), calf roping (60%), bull riding (55%), bronc riding (also 55%) and chuckwagon racing (53%). In terms of the use of taxpayer dollars to fund rodeo events, almost two thirds of Canadians (65%) disagree with the government providing such funding.
Less than one month after the racing season began at Hastings Racecourse, the Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) has received an anonymous tip that 3-year-old Lizzie’s Rayne was euthanized following an incident at Saturday’s event. Video: Hastings Racecourse.
Update
On May 28, 2024, B.C.’s Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch (GPEB) confirmed in an email to the Vancouver Humane Society that Lizzie’s Rayne sustained a complete fracture of the left hind leg on May 25. The injury was unrecoverable and Lizzie’s Rayne was euthanized. Her tragic death marks the first horse death at Hastings Racecourse since the racing season began on April 27.
VANCOUVER, May 27, 2024 – Less than one month after the racing season began at Hastings Racecourse, the Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) has received an anonymous tip that a horse was euthanized following an incident at Saturday’s event.
3-year-old Lizzie’s Rayne reportedly broke her leg during the running of the fourth race. In a live video of the event, Lizzie’s Rayne appears to be forced between the rail and another horse. She can be seen stumbling and falling behind, and does not finish the race.
“Each time a horse loses their life at Hastings Racecourse, it is heartbreaking and sadly unsurprising,” said VHS’s Communications Director, Chantelle Archambault. “The racing industry puts these beautiful, sensitive animals through fear, stress, and risk to their lives, and these incidents are commonplace.”
The BC’s Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch (GPEB) confirmed that there were eight horse deaths at Hastings Racecourse last year, including four horse deaths in the span of just three weeks between July 16 and August 7.
The VHS has pointed to inherent welfare concerns around horse racing, including stressful, aversive training methods, the use of painful tools like whips and bits, the breeding of thoroughbred horses for speed rather than skeletal strength, the risk of injury and death, and the risk of being auctioned off for slaughter for horses who are no longer profitable at the end of their short careers.
“This is why the VHS is asking Vancouverites not to attend horse racing events. These horses are being bred and run to death for the sake of an afternoon of human entertainment because there is profit to be made in people attending and betting on races.”
More information and a pledge not to attend horse racing events can be found on the VHS website.
