Don't support rodeos, abuse of animals
Published in BUFFALO NEWS on 3/6/03:
I'll never forget the terrified look in the bull's
eyes. That horrible night I spent "behind the scenes" at a rodeo has come
back to haunt me because another rodeo is due in town. I'm an animal
advocate who feels obliged to do her homework before she speaks out.
Therefore, I wanted to see as much as possible what
happens to rodeo animals. I believe what I saw that night was cruelty.
I stood nearby as rodeo folks walked among the calm
bulls. As show time neared, they tried to get one of the bulls into the
area near the chute. The bull resisted, scrunching into the corner. His
eyes teared, his nose an and the bull urinated and
defecated. He rotated his head as if searching for a way out. His eyes
rolled.
The cowboys rammed the bull's sides with poles, but
he wouldn't move. They twisted his tail furiously. A cowboy got up on the
railings, ramming his spur into the head and along the back of the animal.
Finally, the bull shot forward, frantic to escape his tormentor. But there
was no escape. A rough rope was tied around his flank area. The rider
jumped on, the flank rope was yanked and the bull's rear legs almost
collapsed to the ground. Show time! The crowd roared as the bull with
rider bolted into the arena.
Rodeo web sites list spurs, flank straps and hotshots
(electric prods) as their tools. At a time when we should be trying to
eliminate violence in our lives, why spend entertainment dollars on events
where animals are subjected to such loathsome devices?
Valerie Will
Orchard Park
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