Sunday, July 13, 2014

Calgary Stampede

Death In The Afternoon

I was raised in Edmonton, Alberta and every year or two my dad would take the family to Calgary for the Stampede. I remember it as being hot, dusty and loud and I don't think it has changed much in that regard. Where it has changed is in the treatment of animals. Never a year goes by without at least one animal being killed and many more tortured.

The body count at the Stampede so far this year is one steer fatally injured in the steer wrestling competition. It lay dying on the arena floor while people ran with tarps to surround it so the sensitive, paying public and their children did not have to see what was being done with their admission money. It is better not to have these things rubbed in the customers face.

I had the opportunity to go to a bullfight in Mexico a couple of years ago but turned it down. I do not consider it "entertaining" to see an animal killed in front of me. A friend of ours did go and he came back quite shaken, saying it had been a mistake to go.

Can you see much difference here? Can the crowd? They are cheering in both cases. Is this "sport"? It certainly is not for me and I will not watch it. Bullfighting or "Cowboying".




5 comments:

  1. Never been something that has interested me, that's for sure. One of my older brothers saw a bullfight in Spain, and sure wasn't thrilled. And this is a guy who has had a farm for the last 30 years and has had to put down his share of animals. Said the bullfight was the cruelest thing he'd ever seen.

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  2. I think the same of "ultimate fighting." Can't understand why they consider it a sport to beat each other to a pulp.

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  3. I agree 100% with your comments, Croft. To me, most of what goes on at rodeos is simply torture of animals as far as I'm concerned. I just refuse to watch it - even on TV.

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  4. 'Kind of enjoy the bull fights - but then I am a vegetarian trying to figure out why meat eaters are so appalled at the idea of a bull fight? I see it as a limited chance for some bovine revenge. The actual dance does have some artful moves with the expected ending of butcher paper and blood - they do consume the end results and nothing goes to waste.

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