WESTCOAST NEWS
Death of 18-month-old steer a 'freak accident'
Incident at Cloverdale Rodeo, which required animal to be destroyed, angers animal rights group

Ai Lin Choo
Vancouver Sun

Tuesday, May 25, 2004
Tanner Milan of Cochrane, Alta., gets ready to jump off his horse during the steer-wrestling competition at the Cloverdale Rodeo Sunday.
CREDIT: Ian Smith, Vancouver Sun

SURREY - An injury that ended in the death of an 18-month-old steer at the Cloverdale Rodeo on the weekend was an unusual "freak accident," said rodeo veterinarian Edward Wiebe.

But the incident, which required the animal to be destroyed after its neck was injured during a steer-wrestling event, angered an animal rights group official, who said it's indicative of the violence animals encounter at rodeos.

"Unfortunately that's what's likely to happen to these animals," said Debra Probert, executive director of the Vancouver Humane Society. "And it's because they're doing things to them that are not natural."

Probert said the death points to a larger problem inherent in the event itself. She said the rationale behind many of the events, where animals are frightened, hurt or stressed to make them perform, is cruel and shouldn't be tolerated.

But Wiebe said the death is the first the rodeo has seen in years, and the first neck injury he's seen in the 20 years he's worked at it.

"It was just a freak accident that happens."

Wiebe said the steer fell the wrong way during the steer-wrestling competition, a timed event during which a competitor rides a horse, dismounts, then wrestles a steer to the ground.

The steer suffered a fractured vertebrae in its neck and its spinal cord was damaged Sunday afternoon. It was euthanized about a half hour later.

Rodeo officials maintain that participating animals are given the best of care and say the only injuries animals usually sustain are scratches and bruises.

"To tell you the truth, the events injure humans more so than animals," said Wiebe.

Probert said that while rodeo events seem to have gotten calmer over the past 10 years, the shows and competitions still end up glorifying violence toward animals.

"Because Surrey is becoming an increasingly urban area, I think the acceptance levels for the treatment of animals is getting lower," she said. "But still, it's quite an offensive event."

The society, which mounts a campaign every year to educate the public on rodeo issues, says it will be appealing to Surrey city council later this year for an end to the rodeo.
© The Vancouver Sun 2004