We will never say yes to televised rodeo in France !
Animals in rodeos are not 'artists' but terrified puppets that are subjected to suffering before reaching the abbatoir.
Animals abused, mistreated, forcibly ridden: this is what rodeo is in reality. Contrary to what journalists from L’Équipe channel say, who have this week broadcast a programme on rodeo, the animals are not artists; they do not choose this life. They are terrified, and it is certainly what makes rodeo so fun for those who watch it. Once the farce of the show of human omnipotence ends, bovines and horses end up at the abattoir.
In France, there are already enough activities creating exploitation and suffering for animals. It is really not worth bringing in new ones !
According to Muriel Arnal, Founding President of One Voice:
«Only an intense level of stress could make the bulls react in this way. Scientists have proven that, yes, animals feel pain and fear. Rodeos are the perfect illustration of this. This entertainment derived from animal suffering must disappear from our society. Are the pitiful humans who practise it still so dependent on animals to show their fake power by mistreating them in these moronic and macabre shows?»
Suffering sold as aggression
Calves, bulls, and horses forced to participate in all of these ‘sports’ have not asked for anything from anyone. They are not aggressive by nature. They are mistreated, hit, burnt, drugged… to give the impression of the human showing courage, whether riding a wild horse (bronc riding), riding a bull (bull riding), capturing a calf with a lasso (calf roping), or even wrestling a bull to the floor (steer wrestling), or a race on horseback around barrels (barrel racing), these activities are all rodeo events. The goal is not concealed: it involves being the ‘best’ cowboy, so it is a question of subduing the animals, training them, branding them with a hot poker, making them submissive…
Drugged
The only objections to steroid or anti-inflammatory injections in bulls (to make them aggressive or unable to feel pain) are not even an issue of fair-play (everyone does it, according to those on the frontline), but solely a sanitation issue: there should be no detectable product left during the competition… for human consumption! Worse, there are no regulations concerning mistreatment during training, and they are minimal during competitions.
Assaulted
So that they enter the track faster or rear up, burning the horses, giving them an electric shock, or hitting them is permitted… Everything is orchestrated to give the impression to the mob of spectators that bulls are ‘enraged’, even though often in reality they are struggling in pain after having been abused backstage.
Injured, their final destination is the abattoir
When they arrive at the abattoir, veterinarians make note of the damage. The calves have had their necks broken or have been violently thrown to the ground, some have broken ribs, internal bleeding… including bulls for that matter. They have ruptured aneurysms, heart attacks, shattered backs…. these are life-threatening conditions. Those who survive must start again the next time, and this happens until their last journey to the abattoir.
A revolting story
Rodeo promoters, breeders or event producers, television sponsors or channels, use the same tainted arguments as bull-fighting afficionados: the animals are artists, they are well-treated the rest of the time, they have lived a good life, the few minutes where they are on stage makes them a star… Except the humans who indulge this humiliating spectacle have a choice to take this risk; the animals never do and they are the losers for sure. According to investigations by animal advocates worldwide, (on bull-fighting or rodeos),we are mostly sold the same story ad nauseam which reeks of lies. This business is very lucrative, this ‘spectacle’ is only one step on the way to the cutting line, which only makes the animals’ owner wealthier along the way.
We suggest that you reach out to @lachainelequipe on Twitter sharing this article, so that the replay of the programme will no longer be accessible and the channel will commit to no longer broadcasting these harmful spectacles in the future. You can also write a (polite but engaging) comment on this article from the l’Équipe newspaper.
Translated from the French by Joely Justice