21-Year Report of California Rodeo Animals Finds Unsurprising Violent and Deadly Conditions

As the Los Angeles City Council prepares to discuss a measure to effectively ban rodeos, a 21-year report of rodeo animals unsurprisingly finds that they face violent and deadly casualties.

Source: SHARK/YouTube

The Times’ review of the reports discovered that since 2001, which was when a California law requiring all rodeos to have a veterinarian in attendance or on call, over 125 animal injuries have been reported. The reports were all reportedly written by attending or on-call veterinarians and submitted to the California Veterinary Medical Board and acquired via a public records request. The reports documented injuries ranging from minor abrasions to broken legs, snapped spines, and crushed skulls. Of the 125 reports, only 20 were reports from before 2010.

The Times reported that in 35 of the injury reports, the animal died immediately or within minutes of the incident or had to be euthanized. In one case, an animal was slaughtered in the following hours or days. 14 of the cases did not leave a clear fate of the severely injured animal and in these cases, they found that either the attending veterinarian was denied access to the animal or the report did not provide information on the animal’s fate.

The animal died while performing in 28 of the 35 deaths that were reviewed by The Times. 12 died in bronco riding events. Other animals like bulls, steers, cows and calves died during events including bull riding, steer wrestling, wild cow milking, bareback competition, bullfighting, stampede, wild horse racing, and calf roping, The Times reported.

Animals in rodeos are grabbed, chased, wrestled, and roped in aggressive displays, and some people believe this serves as “entertainment.” These animals are traumatized and suffer endlessly for people’s entertainment. Many animals die in rodeo events, and even if they don’t, they are left fearful, stressed, and anxious.

Aside from being forced to perform in these events, the animals are often transported long distances from one event to the next, usually squished together in a hot truck without food or water. There are so many outdoor events that people can enjoy that do not include the abuse or torment of animals. Stay away from rodeos and speak up and educate people regarding the abuse that goes on at these events.

Sign this petition to ban rodeos!

Related Content:

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• 10-Year-Old Boy Dies After Rodeo Horse Falls on Him
• Rodeo Cruelty Isn’t Just About Bulls, Baby Cows Are Harmed Too – How to End This ‘Tradition’

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