This year, multinational corporations Campbell Soup and Starbucks Coffee both dropped their support for rodeos after heavy campaigns from SHARK. These were devastating blows to the morale and the illusion of prestige for the Rodeo Mafia, and the loss of Campbell, whose Pace Foods division had its own rodeo series, represented an enormous financial loss. You can read more about these successful campaigns at CorporateThugs.com.

When we saw Carrie Underwood was set to perform at the infamously abusive Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo, we sent her video footage of rodeos and asked her to drop her support. At SHARK’s urging, caring activists contacted Ms. Underwood to educate her about rodeo animal abuse.

above, a horse dragged away to his death at the Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo.

To her credit Carrie Underwood, a vegetarian and animal lover, didn't need a campaign to do the right thing—she canceled her performance at the Cheyenne Frontier Days. Ms. Underwood showed she had two qualities – talent and compassion.

Hilary Duff, entertainer and supposed horse- advocate, initially thought she was big enough to ignore us when we asked her to stop performing at rodeos and Spanish bullrings, but your letters, a few weeks of the Tiger Video Truck exposing her support in Hollywood, and timely articles in the National Enquirer and Star apparently made her think otherwise. Read more about this campaign at HilaryDuffisCruel.com.

Even more importantly, SHARK’s campaign against Hilary’s Duff’s support of rodeo cruelty brought international attention to this often ignored facet of animal abuse. Discussion and images were pervasive across the Internet and other media reaching an audience that was largely unaware of abuses inherent in rodeos.

Currently, Ms. Duff is not scheduled to perform at any upcoming rodeos or bullrings. Especially telling is the fact that her name is absent from the rodeos in Texas that Duff performed at in the last couple years. If she makes another mistake Hilary Duff will see the return of the Tiger to her Hollywood stomping grounds.

In Springfield, Illinois, the National High School Rodeo Association Finals are finally under official investigation for criminal animal abuse.

SHARK investigators were at the NHSRAF this summer to document the rodeo abuse every day, for a full week. We exposed illegal shocking of horses and bulls, and a new torture device being used and easily hidden by Rodeo Thugs—a spiking device in their hands to stab animals in the chutes!

View videos, photos, and get more information about the abuse at the NHSRAF at IllinoisCorruption.com.

Injuries to animals were not uncommon at the NHSRAF, but the truth was. The rodeo organization and the Illinois Department of Agriculture, charged with enforcing humane care, denied abuse occurred and that injuries were inflicted.

However, the media attention of SHARK's videos and photographs of animal abuse has been very damaging to this Rodeo Mafia. Our IllinoisCorruption.com website chronicles the deserved carnage that has been dealt to the Illinois Department of Agriculture, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, and the Rodeo Mafia.

The abuse and corruption in Illinois garnered the attention of political cartoonists.

Almost two years ago we saw the world of rodeo beginning to come apart at the seams.

The world's largest rodeo association, the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), had financial problems, partly because of the tremendous amount of money it spends to keep itself on television, partly because it was losing corporate sponsors and other monetary supporters. All the while we were exposing them to the world as the animal abusers they truly are.

The unraveling continues today.

The PRCA’s head victimizer, Commissioner Troy Ellerman, can’t avoid the truth any longer. Animal advocates are bringing down rodeo. Ellerman wrote in his “Letter to the Membership”:

“The PRCA has seen a declining membership base, which includes rodeos and contestants. We are experiencing a reduction in resources for our stakeholders, a loss of brand value to consumers and the decline of cash infusion into our industry due to the migration of members and stakeholders away from rodeo.”

Corporate jargon from the PRCA aside, the handwriting is on the wall.

Now SHARK has an ambitious plan to simultaneously pursue over a dozen corporate rodeo sponsors and government entities that provide rodeo welfare. Without these sources of funding rodeo cannot survive.

You will recognize many of these companies, including Cingular, Coca-Cola, Dodge Trucks, the US Army, Bayer (as in aspirin), and Southwest Airlines, to name just a few. You can watch our campaigns' progress at www.CorporateThugs.com.

Accomplishments in 2006

• SHARK’s investigation and press conferences forced the Illinois Department of Agriculture to launch an investigation into criminal animal abuse at the 2006 National High School Rodeo Finals.
• “Buck Starbucks!” campaign halted rodeo sponsorships by the coffee giant.
• “Campbell Soup Kills” campaign instrumental in dissolving Campbell and Pace Foods support of the rodeo industry.
• Documented abuse at rodeos across the country.
• Provided information to the Wyoming Eagle- Tribune to help bring about explosive article exposing abuse and corruption at the Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo.
• Successfully urged Carrie Underwood to cancel performance at the horrific Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo.
• Targeting Hilary Duff, took the Tiger Truck to the streets of Hollywood to expose the truth of rodeo cruelty.
• Used hard-hitting videos and pictures to bring major media attention on animal abuse in rodeo.
• Significantly expanded the SHARK website to include more video and photos than ever before, exposing the abusers for what they are.
• Took the Tiger Truck to the streets of major cities in Canada to expose the seal-slaughter promoted by the Canadian government.

Goals for 2007

SHARK needs your support to continue the good fight!
What your donations can accomplish:

• $ 15,000: Supports our expanding technical equipment needs for items such as computer equipment, video cameras, and other hardware.
• $ 36,000: Sends two investigators to at least 12 major rodeos in 2007. One major rodeo can last one week or more.
• $ 50,000: Enables year-round use of the Tiger Video Truck to expose abuse and those sponsors that subsidize it.
• $ 65,000: Hires at least two more staff members committed to working for the animals.

What we are not spending your donations on is big salaries or fancy offices.

SHARK has only two part-time employees, and our president is not one of them. We work out of our homes. In other words, all of your money goes to the work of protecting animals.

I cannot express strongly enough just how crucial your support is to continue our work against animal abuse in all its forms, particularly those forms culturally entrenched in the minds of many as “acceptable use.”

Kindest Regards,
Steve Hindi and Your SHARK Team

Please help us reach our goals for the animals in 2007! Click below to make your tax-deductible donation today.

Support SHARK!

He was terrified, confused, and just a baby.

The small door in front of him opens, and he runs frantically to escape the horror in the cage.

Fear and pain grip him, and eventually men come and yank his ropes off. If he is lucky, the calf will be able to get up.

Please support SHARK’s efforts to stop this cruelty!