For the past several years, most, if not all of Brevard County fairs have added rodeo events to their agenda.  Rodeo is the the cruelest event in this country. Animals are probed with bucking straps, electric prods, and other tools to hurt them into reacting with agitation and aggression.  A large number of Brevard County and Florida residents and tourists do not support rodeo events and would like to see them abolished from county fairs and festivals.

While the rodeo industry claims that they treat their animals with superior care, we have to question this statement.  Manipulating and animal to buck or be lassoed into submission in front of a crowd of people is both cruel and extremely stressful to the animal.  While these animals may or may not be cared for in a proper manner out of the spotlight, in front of a crowd they are in obvious distress.  Aggravating an animal for entertainment and profit is not diligent care.  As sentient beings, rodeo animals feel pain and stress in the same way as your pets at home.  If you would not probe your dogs and cats into stress and pain in front of hundreds and thousands of people, why do it to these animals for a quick buck?  If it is wrong to treat pets in this manner, it is clear that approving this event is, in fact, supporting animal cruelty.  

Brevard County is talented enough to attract attendees without animal cruelty shows.  The area is known for its beaches, the space center and beautiful nature experiences.  Rodeo is just does not fit our demographic.  Please consider pulling rodeo sports from all Brevard County fairs and festivals.

Email the County Leaders (If you email these reps, please be respectful.  Our organization prides itself on promoting our cause with positivity and not judgement and cruelty):

Commissioner Robin Fisher: D1.Commissioner@BrevardCounty.us

Commissioner Jim Barfield: D2.Commissioner@BrevardCounty.us

Commissioner Trudie Infantini: D3.Commissioner@BrevardCounty.us

Commissioner Curt Smith: D4.Commissioner@BrevardCounty.us

Commissioner Andy Anderson:D5.Commissioner@BrevardCounty.us

County Manager Stockton Whitten: Stockton.Whitten@brevardcounty.us

Assistant County Manager Venetta Valdengo: Venetta.Valdengo@brevardcounty.us

Assistant County Manager Frank Abbate:  Frank.Abbate@brevardcounty.us

 

Important Informational Sources:

Rodeo Facts: The Case Against Rodeos

"In order to elicit certain behaviors from the animals, rodeos use various tools to make animals appear more aggressive than they really are. Such tools include the “hotshot,” an electric prod used on the animal while captive in the chute. The intense pain scares the animal into displaying abnormally dramatic reactions. Other tools include metal spurs and “bucking straps” that burn the animal’s abdomen and groin area and cause him to “buck” and can lead to back and leg injuries."

Bull Riding Increasingly Dangerous, Says World Champ Bull Rider Kody Lostroh

 

"Lostroh also raises riding bulls at his home in Ault on the Eastern Plains. By “good bulls,” Lostroh means they buck harder, jump higher, and twist and turn more than their predecessors. Bull riding has been dubbed the most dangerous organized sport in the world. Several professional riders performing at the National Western Stock Show in Denver last week told CPR News they'd agree with that label. A few statistics serve as some evidence for that assertion. The New Yorker recently found that bull riders are 10 times more likely than football players to be seriously injured. The magazine also cited statistics by sports epidemiologist Dale Butterwick, who found that in the two decades leading up to 2009, 28 riders suffered “life-changing” injuries. During those years, 16 bull riders died."

Rodeo Cruelty: Forget the Myth

Please pay special attention to the following sections:

Rodeos Abuse, Maim and Kill Animals>"Read what a rodeo vet has to say" > "Learn about groups opposed to rodeo" "Animal Injuries at Rodeos"

When it comes to rodeo, there are two types of media.>"Go to ReportersWhoCare.com"

Rodeo Family Values? > ALL

An eyewitness to a rodeo bull's death speaks out!

 

A descriptive letter about the cruelty witnessed when a woman and her family attended a rodeo event in 2000.

 

Facing the Bull: The Most Dangerous 8 Seconds in Sports

"Part of the thrill comes from watching professional bull riders match their riding skills, intuition, and courage against animals 15 times their weight. Not surprisingly, riders suffer injuries every year. Riders, like Lee, often compete again long before they are fully healed."

"The U.S. professional rodeo circuit averages one or two deaths annually. Several more riders suffer serious spinal or brain injuries each year, according to the World Health Organization's Helmet Initiative."