The rodeo debate: For
A popular, professional event that is carefully supervised
Laura Ballance, Special to the Sun
Published: Tuesday, May 16, 2006
The Cloverdale Rodeo and Exhibition Association is proud to host the 60th anniversary Cloverdale Rodeo this coming weekend at the Cloverdale fairgrounds -- a celebration of one of British Columbia's great Victoria Day long weekend traditions.
However, despite the fact that tens of thousands of visitors will enjoy this popular event, the Cloverdale Rodeo is once again coming under attack by animal rights activists who fundamentally disagree with the sport.
We welcome the opportunity to provide factual information for the media and the public to analyse in order to make up their own minds about the sport of professional rodeo.
By way of example of the many instances of the misinformation animal activists, including the B.C. SPCA, have put forward is that interest in the Cloverdale Rodeo is decreasing. This is simply not true. Official attendance to the rodeo performances in 2005 topped 17,000 guests, a near-capacity crowd despite torrential rain and well below normal temperatures at all but one event.
The sport of professional rodeo employs thousands of animals that are bred specifically for competition in the various rodeo events. The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) and the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association (CPRA), both of which the Cloverdale Rodeo is a respected member, choose to turn to the experts when answering questions regarding the care and treatment of rodeo livestock at PRCA and CPRA sanctioned events.
The experts are the on-site independent rodeo veterinarians who are required by PRCA and CPRA rules to attend each rodeo performance. Surveys conducted by these vets have consistently shown the rate of injury to rodeo animals to be statistically negligible.
The Cloverdale Rodeo adheres to more than 60 individual rules and regulations governing animal welfare. It upholds and aggressively enforces the rules governing the proper care and treatment of rodeo livestock.
It is important for the public to know that independent veterinarians are present at all rodeo performances, and the Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair welcomes and appreciates the professional working relationship with respected Canadian veterinarian Dr. Edward Wiebe and associates.
When discussing the livestock at the Cloverdale Rodeo and comparing the welfare of those animals to other similar livestock in North America it must be noted that the average working time for bucking animals at the Cloverdale Rodeo is 16 seconds. The average annual working time for bucking animals is 10 minutes.
The livestock featured at the Cloverdale Rodeo is some of the most valuable livestock in North America, and is treated with the care of world-class athletes, which is what they are.
The livestock featured at the Cloverdale Rodeo belong to the respected and legendary Canadian Kesler ranching family of Magrath, Alta. Because of their status as rodeo livestock, these animals receive top-level feed and care.
The reality of rodeo is this: In the sport of professional rodeo, cowboys share the limelight with the livestock. For a cowboy to compete at the highest level, the livestock also must be in peak condition.
Consistent proper treatment of animals -- in and out of the arena -- has been well documented by veterinarians who have witnessed the health and condition of the animals first-hand. Stock contractors, the ranchers who raise and provide livestock to rodeos, also have an obvious financial interest in keeping the animals healthy.
Professional rodeo judges are in attendance at all PRCA and CPRA events and are responsible for the enforcement of rules. Becoming a judge involves extensive training in the skills needed to evaluate livestock, and testing of that knowledge and of the rodeo.
Ultimately, the Cloverdale Rodeo and Exhibition Association respects individuals' rights to their own opinion. What we ask is that animal activists extend the same courtesy and respect to the tens of thousands of rodeo fans who want to attend one of the most popular, best produced and respected professional rodeo events in North America.
It should also be said that culture comes in many forms. The Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair should be allowed to take its place among the wide variety of arts, cultural and sporting events that are looked forward to and supported by thousands of Lower Mainlanders annually.
Laura Ballance is a spokesperson for the Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair.
© The Vancouver Sun 2006
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The rodeo debate: Against
Inhumane fear and pain in a modern 'city with a heart'
Duane Kesler feeds the competition bucking horses his family assembled for the 2005 Cloverdale Rodeo.
Duane Kesler feeds the competition bucking horses his family assembled for the 2005 Cloverdale Rodeo.
Photograph by : Ian Lindsay, Vancouver Sun
Debra Probert, Special to the Sun
Published: Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Vancouver city council voted in principle to ban rodeo activities within the city last year. Today, council will decide whether to ratify that decision.
The same week, in the city of Surrey, the 60th Cloverdale Rodeo will open with great fanfare. While one city is moving to eliminate the use of animals in an inhumane spectacle, another will be celebrating it.
Of course, rodeo fans will say that roping calves and wrestling steers to the ground are part of Surrey's heritage and culture, while Vancouver has only witnessed an occasional rodeo at the Pacific National Exhibition.
But do Surrey residents really want rodeo to be the defining cultural event of their city? Surrey is growing and urbanizing rapidly, with the population projected to jump from about 400,000 now to 542,000 in 2021. With so many new citizens and with ethnic minorities already making up over a third of the city's population, how reflective will rodeo be of the community's culture and values in 2021?
Even now, it appears the public is losing interest. Last year, 16,000 people attended the rodeo, down from 19,500 the year before -- an 18-per-cent drop.
Surrey's official community plan lists a goal to "enhance the image and character" of the city, as part of its vision to become "a great city with a heart." It's a vision that doesn't fit with the violence and cruelty involved in rodeo. The use of cinch straps to make animals buck; the goading of animals to make them run from their chutes; the neck-jerking roping of calves running at full speed -- all methods employing fear and pain to make animals perform.
In 2004, a cowboy broke a steer's neck while wrestling it to the ground. It had to be destroyed, one of the 20 animals killed in rodeos across Canada since 1995.
These deaths and injuries are horrific but the fear that rodeo animals experience is perhaps the cruellest aspect of their mistreatment. The distinguished animal behaviourist, Temple Grandin, has argued that fear is "so bad" for animals that it is worse than pain. And she is no bleeding heart -- she designs slaughterhouses for the beef industry.
The moderate, mainstream B.C. SPCA called for the public to boycott the Cloverdale Rodeo last year. Think about it. The agency with statutory responsibility for protecting animals in this province thinks rodeo is wrong and is telling the public not to attend. Every single animal welfare agency in Canada opposes rodeo. Yet every year Surrey plays host to the same grim spectacle in the name of heritage. Is this what a city with a heart wants to be known for?
In December 2007, Surrey's contract with the current operators of the Cloverdale Fairground expires and a major redevelopment of the fairground is to follow.
The city has asked for public opinion on the plans. This would be the perfect opportunity to phase out the rodeo and introduce new cultural events. The popular country fair could be retained, perhaps with the addition of a country music festival similar to the highly successful Merritt Mountain Music Festival.
Surrey's history and heritage could still be celebrated, while new ideas reflecting the city's vision for the future, could be explored. All without the use and abuse of animals.
With a little courage and some foresight, the council could take a first step toward building a new image for the city -- one that respects the past but values compassion more. That's what great cities should do.
In London, one of the last bear-baiting pits, situated a few paces from Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, was closed down in 1642. While the Globe has been rebuilt, nothing remains of the bear pit.
There are some parts of our heritage we should retain and be proud of and there are others we should consign to the dustbin of history. That's where the Cloverdale Rodeo belongs.
Debra Probert is the executive director of the Vancouver Humane Society.
© The Vancouver Sun 2006