Dear supporters

In December, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to ban rodeos, joining other jurisdictions in the United States, such as San Francisco, Pasadena, Pittsburgh, Baltimore County Maryland, Leesburg Virginia and Fort Wayne Indiana, which have banned or put limits on these cruel events. 

Councilmember Bob Blumenfield was quoted in the Los Angeles Times as saying:

"These animals aren't part of a show - their torture is the show.  People are being entertained by witnessing animals writhing in pain because a flank strap is wrapped tightly around their belly."

So how far behind the times are we here in New South Wales?  We don't even require these events to have a veterinarian present.  We allow the use of electric prods, and for animals to be fed and watered as infrequently as once every 24 hours.  There is no requirement to report injuries or deaths.  

I recently had a meeting with the Hon. Stephen Lawrence MLC, a member of the Animal Welfare Committee of the NSW Parliament, and was able to provide him with extensive details of the cruelty associated with rodeos.  Mr Lawrence took it all on board and I am confident he will do what he can to help stop the suffering of rodeo animals.

That meeting also highlighted for me one of the main problems holding back progress on this issue, and that is that people are unaware of the stress, pain and injury these animals face.  The media overwhelmingly focus on the festive atmosphere of rodeos, the "courage" of the participants, and the "tradition".

There's nothing festive about animal abuse; there's nothing courageous about roping a terrified calf, and there's nothing traditional about rodeos except their reflection of a time when people were far less aware or concerned about animal welfare.

I am asking you to speak up at every opportunity about the cruel reality of these events, and most importantly, contact politicians, the ones who have the power to change the laws which allow this shocking abuse. 

If you live in New South Wales, contact Minister Tara Moriarty and tell her that rodeos must end.  Here is the link: Hon. Tara Moriarty MLC

Key messages for the Minister are:

• rodeos are a cruel hangover from the past; 
• they operate under a 35-year-old code that has never been updated;
• numerous scientific studies have confirmed the pain and stress suffered by the animals;
• rodeos do not reflect practice on the land; and
• a humane society must ban these events, beginning with calf roping, because the torment of baby animals is the worst of all.

Thank you for your help and support.  Rodeo animals have no voice - they need us.

And special thanks to the dedicated volunteers at Animal Liberation, who attend countless rodeos and take distressing pictures such as the one above, to try and show the inhumanity of these events.