CALGARY (NEWS1130) – A day ahead of the opening of the Calgary Stampede, a local animal rights group has taken out a full-page ad, criticizing the event.
The ad shows a child petting a calf with the caption “Human kindness.”
Another photo shows a roped rodeo calf with the caption “Stampede blindness.”
The ad also says: “C’mon Stampede. Have a heart for animals. Ban calf-roping.”
Given the recent flooding in Alberta, we asked the Vancouver Humane Society whether it thought about giving the Stampede a break this year.
“Frankly, I would think it’s kind of an insult to the intelligence of Calgarians that they would expect a discussion on calf-roping to stop because of a disastrous flood,” says the society’s Peter Fricker.
He is optimistic organizers will give in to public pressure and make changes, but he says it could take years.
“We did a 10-year campaign in BC aimed at the Cloverdale Rodeo and they ended up banning four roping events, so we certainly think public pressure will eventually come to bear on the Stampede,” explains Fricker.
He says the Stampede has made some changes, but he doesn’t feel “they’re going far enough.”
The popular event kicks off tomorrow.