Despite the wave of state and federal laws protecting animals from cruelty, the rodeo is still a legal platform to torture and abuse them. I am calling upon the city of Merrill, WI to stand up for the welfare of all creatures by disallowing the Wisconsin River Pro Rodeo and all rodeo events hereafter.

At rodeos, events such as calf roping, steer wrestling and bareback horse and bull riding all place animals in emotional and physical danger. Many of these animals – docile by nature – are provoked by tools to display wild and aggressive behavior. According to the Animal Legal Defense Fund (aldf.org), “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.”

Another atrocity is the act of calf roping, where a calf (a baby cow or bull) is chased throughout the arena, running scared, until its abuser throws a rope around its neck and yanks it off its feet. Often times these babies suffer neck and back injuries, and sometimes death.

Other common injuries suffered by animals at rodeos are as follows: broken ribs, backs, and legs; punctured lungs; deep internal organ bruising; hemorrhaging; ripped tendons; torn ligaments and muscles; snapped necks; and agonizing deaths.

Please be the voice for these normally gentle creatures, who are forced to participate in these traumatic events, by banning rodeos from the city of Merrill.

For more information about the harmful effects of rodeos on animals, please visit:
http://aldf.org/resources/when-you-witness-animal-cruelty/rodeo-facts-the-case-against-rodeos/