Animal Liberation Queensland have been sneaking around Mount Isa Rodeo again and they claim video footage they captured shows “disturbing treatment” of animals despite in each case shown the animal walking away uninjured.
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The interventionist group wants all rodeos banned and said calves in the rope and tie event were shown “being brutally yanked off their feet and slammed to the ground after being roped around the neck”.
They also showed footage of rodeo clown, Cliff ‘Hollywood’ Harris, which they said showed him causing additional stress to the calves in his clearly unsuccessful attempts to ‘hypnotise’ the young animals immediately after their rope and tie ordeals.
ALQ also say a bull who was reluctant to participate in the bull riding competition had his tail yanked and pulled for several minutes, and was poked with different objects, resulting in him bellowing in distress.
The ALQ said the rodeo industry’s voluntary code states that distressed animals should be released from the chute and examined by a vet.
ALQ Vice President, Gayle D’Arcy said not everyone was having fun at the Rodeo.
“All animal welfare groups, including RSPCA Qld, totally oppose rodeos, a fact which seems to be conveniently ignored by the Queensland Government in its enthusiastic promotion of these events,” Ms D’Arcy said.
“Calf roping in particular is a nasty rodeo event, already banned in Victoria, South Australia and the ACT. The Queensland Government’s Animal Welfare Advisory Board is currently looking into the future of this event as a result of public concern. We urge the Queensland Government to do the right thing and ban calf roping.”
Isa Rodeo Arena Director Mr Steve Hilton said the complaints from ALQ have been referred to our organising committee and to the APRA chairman and Animal Welfare officer for their consideration. "The Mount Isa committee takes animal welfare extremely seriously and all efforts are taken for protection of our animals,“ Mr Hilton said.
Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
