| January
16, 2005
ANIMAL
ACTIVISTS DEMAND AN
END TO CRUEL RODEOS
Against Animal Cruelty Tasmania
(AACT) has demanded a ban on rodeos following the release of distressing
film footage showing shocking abuse of a mortally injured bull on state
and nation-wide media.
The incident occurred at the
Carrick Bull Ride on Saturday. A bull twisted as he was forced to jump
and buck, breaking his back. The film shows the bull trying to drag himself
by his forelegs to a truck while being kicked in the face by one of the
stockmen. No veterinarian was present at the Australian Professional Rodeo
Association (APRA) sanctioned event, and it was over an hour before the
suffering animal was driven away.
AACT Co-ordinator Emma Haswell
said:
“It is outrageous
that these animals are goaded into a frenzy of fear and pain to carry
out unnatural activities which cause injuries like this. The film of
the bull, with a broken back, being forced, by means of kicking in the
face to drag himself to a truck was immensely distressing, and we have
had calls from the public expressing their outrage at this horrific
cruelty”.
The film footage clearly shows
the abuse of the injured bull. It also shows security staff at the event
attempting to intimidate the distressed member of the public who filmed
the incident. The film and the story were released by Southern Cross News,
and have been distributed nation-wide. The RSPCA and Tasmania Police are
believed to be investigating the incident, although neither intervened
at the time, despite several requests for assistance by animal protection
representatives.
In NSW, Telstra discontinued
its sponsorship of rodeos, so concerned was it about the cruelty of these
events.
“There is no animal
welfare ‘Standard’ or Code of Practice applying to animals
used in rodeos in Tasmania. These events are self-regulating. There
is a high risk of injury every time an animal comes out of the chute
at a rodeo as was the case on Saturday” Ms Haswell continued..
AACT believes that rodeos
are nothing more than animal abuse in the name of entertainment, and
if this is the standard of events approved by APRA, then all rodeos
should be banned immediately. It is not negotiable”,
Ms Haswell concluded.
For further information,
please contact AACT.
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