We had our emergency meeting and over several months we all came to an agreement that veterinary students cannot handle animals when alcohol is being served at an event. This became part of our SAVMA by-laws.
In veterinary school I was a SAVMA [The Student American Veterinary Medical Association] Delegate. One of the SAVMA sponsored evening events at one of the annual SAVMA conventions was at a local bar. I heard over the loudspeaker that there was going to be a greased pig contest outside. I ran outside with one of my veterinary student friends to see what this event was all about.
It was freezing temperatures outside, there were several pigs in a small arena, a large bottle of lube, and multiple drunk male veterinary students ready to participate. This was no ordinary greased pig contest in which people try to catch a slippery pig.
This event was an opportunity for drunk male veterinary students to try to dismember these pigs alive. A whistle blew which signified the start of the contest and each student grabbed a different leg of the pig. The pigs were in the air and students were pulling their legs in different directions trying to rip them off of their bodies. Pigs were screaming in pain and my veterinary student friend was screaming at the veterinary students to stop.
I had tears running down my face as I took photos of the veterinary
students treating these pigs with complete disregard for their lives
and the pain that they were experiencing. Eventually a whistle was
blown to signify the end of round one. The pigs were unable to walk
and were clearly in severe pain. Then they announced a second round
in a few minutes. I ran inside and found a SAVMA representative and
told them they had to go outside and call off this contest, which
they did.
That night I went back to my hotel room with my fellow SAVMA
delegate and had her contact our SAVMA President to notify them that
an anonymous person took photos of this event and if there wasn't an
emergency meeting first thing in the morning, that this person was
forwarding all photos to PETA immediately.
We had our emergency meeting and over several months we all came to an agreement that veterinary students cannot handle animals when alcohol is being served at an event. This became part of our SAVMA by-laws.
Unfortunately I was unable to get rodeo style events removed from SAVMA sponsored activities. I wrote an article for our national SAVMA magazine. Only part of my article was published, and veterinary students from rural communities supported the event that occurred outside that bar because that was their tradition.