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SHARK Challenges the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle
on Horse Deaths at Cheyenne Rodeo
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Yesterday, the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle published this editorial on the death of a horse named Check Mate at the Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo (CFD) on Sunday. The editors wrote about how another horse, Strawberry Fudge, died two years ago and that the CFD should be "...looking into what is now a trend."
These two horses were not the only victims of the CFD, as you will see in the following letter SHARK sent to the paper today in response to the editorial.
Please leave comments on the editorial and ask the newspaper to find out what really happened to Cajun Katy and Wobble Water.
You can view all of the victims of the CFD on our YouTube channel. ---
Yesterday the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle chose to give a token nod to journalism. The newspapers' editorial board posted an opinion piece that CFD officials "should review horse's death." At issue they claim was that a second horse in three years had died during the Rookie Bronc Saddle Competition on Monday, July 26.
For reasons only they can explain, the newspaper chose to ignore two other horses that were seriously injured. As with Strawberry Fudge and Check Mate, Cajun Katy was also dragged on to a trailer and hauled out of the arena. A fourth horse, Wobble Water, was clearly injured this past Monday. From across the arena we could easily see the injury, so obviously rodeo officials standing a few feet away could see it as well. The clearly injured horse was forced to run to mask the injury. Obviously in pain, Wobble Water collapsed and in response the rodeo announcers made fun of him as if he were doing it as part of a game. He was forced back up and he hobbled out of the arena.
Why won't the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle tell the whole truth? Not only have we not kept the other two injuries a secret, SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK) even supplied them the links to the videos and people around the world are expressing their disgust and repulsion of the abuse.
Let me be clear, I once respected the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle. After SHARK exposed that Cheyenne rodeo horses were being shocked in 2005, Wyoming Tribune-Eagle reporter Cara Eastwood investigated and reported that horses were still being shocked in 2006.
When SHARK came back in 2007 and again exposed that horses were still being shocked, the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle voiced an opinion that such cruelty should stop. Something happened last year, though, when out of the blue, the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle knowing what it knows about the rodeo published a front page article titled "Animals Get the Utmost Care." On that day, I wrote the newspaper off as a journalistic organization. I am completely unimpressed by yesterday's token of journalistic integrity. They don't even have the correct victim count. We are not fooled, however, since the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle chooses to pretend to care about truth and justice, we challenge the editor, the publisher and the staff to tell the truth. What really happened to Cajun Katy? What happened to Wobble Water?
It would take a lot of guts and integrity from someone at the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle to convert the newspaper from a public relations rag for CFD back into the world of journalism, but who knows "pigs might fly"?
Steve Hindi
President, SHARK
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Check Mate falling during a "rookie saddle bronc" event.
She would later be killed due to this injury
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Kindest Regards,
Steve Hindi and Your SHARK Team
"Kindness and compassion towards all living beings is a mark of a civilized society. Racism, economic deprival, dog fighting and cock fighting, bullfighting and rodeos are all cut from the same fabric: violence. Only when we have become nonviolent towards all life will we have learned to live well ourselves." - Cesar Chavez, civil rights and labor leader, founder of the United Farm Workers
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