Overall the lack of media coverage of the injuries and deaths of animals at the 2011 Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo (CFD) has been especially appalling this year. Fortunately, one writer has more backbone than SHARK has seen in a while. On July 28, Maite Kropp of
The Reporter wrote a
great article on the "cultural tradition" nightmare of CFD and the animals they injured and killed.
Today, a
response titled "Rodeos Care for Animals" from CFD General Chairman Rod Hottle appeared in
The Reporter in a lame attempt counter the truth of Maite Kropp. Nevermind the 82 videos of CFD that SHARK has uploaded on YouTube proving the animal abuse, injuries and deaths to go with over 100 other rodeo videos we have up. Hottle insults everyone's intelligence with his rodeo propaganda.
Rod Hottle, General Chairman of Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo (CFD), in a letter published on August 3rd, tried to whitewash the animal cruelty that occurs at CFD. The evidence my organization, SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK) has collected and which is posted on YouTube absolutely refutes his statements that the rodeo is not cruel.
Here are just some of the cruel techniques and events that occur at the CFD:
� SHARK exposed CFD for three years in a row (2005, 2006, and 2007) for electro-shocking horses in violation of local Cheyenne humane laws. These violations were never prosecuted. What's more, rodeos are explicitly EXEMPTED from Wyoming's animal cruelty laws.
� CFD allows calf jerk-downs, a terribly violent manner of calf-roping where the young animal is flipped over themselves and smashed head first into the ground. It should be noted that jerk downs are illegal in the entire state of California because they are so inhumane, however CFD continues to allow them.
� CFD allows steer busting - an event that is so cruel and has such a high animal fatality rate that it is only allowed in a handful of states. Steer busting is not allowed in California.
� CFD also has the Wild Horse Race, another dangerous and unsanctioned event. A horse was killed this year at CFD during this race.
� CFD has the Rookie Saddle Bronc event which routinely causes injuries and deaths of horses. A horse named Check Mate was killed just two weeks ago during this event, while another horse Wobble Water was injured and forced to hobble out of the arena. Two years ago a horse named Strawberry Fudge was killed and a horse named Cajun Katy was badly injured, but never heard from again. The horse King of the Lizards was also injured and forced to hobble out of the arena, also not seen again. The Rookie Saddle Bronc is so problematic that even the local Wyoming-Tribune published an editorial asking the CFD to re-evaluate the event.
Hottle's words of humane care are meaningless in light of the piles of broken bodies that accumulate year after year at the Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo.
This is the condensed response since there is a limit of 300 - 350 words. SHARK will post the extended response on our website: ShameOnCheyenne.com next week after the pigeon shoot in PA.
Please go to these two articles and post your comments.
