Calgary Stampede tragedies

Today's terrible news of another horse's death at the Calgary Stampede sends a clear message that the tradition of animal abuse in the name of entertainment must be stopped at the Calgary Stampede. Since July 9th, five horses have died at the Stampede, which ends on July 18th.

TRACS supports the Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) in their efforts to expose and bring change to the Calgary Stampede:

"VHS has worked tirelessly to draw media attention to the animal deaths at the Calgary Stampede and other rodeos. Without our efforts, these tragedies would have gone largely unnoticed, as has happened repeatedly in previous years. Change is coming - we need to keep up the pressure. Please help us - your voice has never been so important!"
http://vancouverhumanesociety.bc.ca/stampede.html

An example from the VHS that humane changes can be positive:

The Cloverdale Rodeo - a precedent

In 2007, the Cloverdale Rodeo in Surrey, B.C., dropped four major events from its program after years of pressure from VHS and other animal protection groups. The events (team-roping, wild cow-milking, steer-wrestling and calf-roping) are the mainstays of rodeo - or so it was thought.

To the surprise of many, the rodeo and country fair attracted record crowds in 2008 and 2009 without the roping events. It was clear that the real attraction in Cloverdale is the country fair, not the rodeo. It was also apparent that making the rodeo more humane had no negative impact on attendance. If the Calgary Stampede and other Canadian rodeos followed suit they would likely find a similar reaction from the public. Certainly, the public would not miss calf-roping.

Please contact the Calgary Stampede to tell them you do not support activities that put animals at risk of injuries and death:

Vern Kimball
Chief Executive Officer
Calgary Stampede
Box 1060, Station M
Calgary, Alberta T2P 2K8
Tel: 403 261 0101 (local)
Tel: 1 800 661 1260 (North America toll free)
Fax: 403 265 7197
Email: vkimball@calgarystampede.com