On the Rodeo Front

Editor,

First, the good news: The Livermore Jr. Rodeo, scheduled for June 18, was recently cancelled, reportedly due to unavailability of an on-site ambulance.

Second, the bad news: The Rowell Ranch Jr. Rodeo is scheduled for August 5-7, 2022.

Third, a question: California Education Code 60042 mandates that "humane education and kindness to animals be taught in the public schools, K-12." Nearly EVERY animal welfare organization in California condemns rodeo due to its inherent cruelty. Rodeo is a blatant violation of that mandate. Rodeos send a terrible message to impressionable young children about the proper treatment of animals. Various school districts need to be called on this. Are lawsuits in order?

Rodeo animals are PREY animals. As such, they fear for their very lives when roped, wrestled, ridden, dragged or otherwise treated roughly. World-renowned animal behaviorist Dr. Temple Grandin has written that, "The single worst thing you can do to an animal emotionally is to make it feel afraid. Fear is so bad for animals I think it's worse than pain." That alone is more than enough reason to outlaw this cruelty.

Incredibly, as I write this, a rodeo is being planned in Uvalde, Texas as a palliative for the recent mass shooting of 19 elementary school children and their two teachers. Truly mind-boggling. Texas is the #1 rodeo state in the nation. There are connections to be made here, folks.

Most jr. rodeos feature abusive events having nothing to do with life on a working ranch: mutton busting, goat tying, calf riding and roping, animal "scrambles," et al., dangerous for animals and children alike.

Then there's the health risk. A three-year-old little boy, DerekScott "Bubba" Kirby (see Google), fell off his sheep at a recent Texas rodeo and got a mouthful of E. coli-infected dirt. He went into a two-week coma, swelled up twice his normal size, and suffered heart, lung and kidney failure, nearly dying in the process. EVERY rodeo arena in the country is infected with E. coli. PARENTS BEWARE!

The United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales) outlawed rodeos back in 1934. Can the U.S. be far behind? Rodeo has had its brutal day and now--like those Confederate statues--belongs in the Dustbin of History.

–Eric Mills, Oakland