calf-roping banned at Cloverdale rodeo after calf dies
Date: May 22, 2007
Cloverdale Rodeo stops most egregious events after calf dies on Saturday
At a media conference this morning, the Cloverdale Rodeo announced that the calf-roping, or tie-down roping event, along with the steer-wrestling, team-roping and wild cow milking events will cease to exist at future Cloverdale rodeos. City of Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts was also in attendance and expressed council’s support of the move.
The Cloverdale Rodeo has been under increasing pressure from animal protectionists ever since a steer died in the steer-wrestling event in 2004 and a Vancouver Humane Society photographer caught it on film and released it to the public. (Click here for more information on the Cloverdale Rodeo)
“I don’t think this was an easy decision to make, and on behalf of the Vancouver Humane Society, I’d like to commend those involved,” states the executive director of VHS, Debra Probert. “I think this decision shows that the Cloverdale Rodeo is admitting what VHS, and the rest of the humane community, has been saying for over 20 years – that these events are explicit animal cruelty and there’s no place for them in a progressive society.”
The City of Vancouver recently prohibited rodeos within the city at the request of the Vancouver Humane Society. “We are seeing a clear trend against rodeo cruelty and we hope it spreads throughout B.C. and across the country,” said Probert.
