Horses have been dying at rodeos and chuckwagon races for a long time. Suffering fatal heart attacks, crashing and injuring themselves beyond repair, bucking so hard that they break their backs and have to be euthanized. Last year, four animals – three horses and one steer- died during the Calgary Stampede. In 2005, 9 horses died after being spooked while galloping across a city bridge (because the organizers thought the sight of 200 horses galloping through downtown Calgary would make an awesome photo-op) and plunged to their deaths into the Bow River. Unnecessary deaths, and “depressingly predictable” according to many animal welfare organizations.
Of course, using animals for the sake of entertainment is an embarrassingly long tradition for the human race. What about circuses? What about cock fighting and dog fighting? How about the ultimate in cruelty: bull fighting?
Years ago, while visiting Barcelona, I was asked to attend a bull fight (billed as a tourist attraction) and I vehemently refused. I have never been able to see the “sport” of bull fighting as an honourable tradition, steeped in bravado and romanticized by the likes of Hemingway. To me it’s always been barbarous and unconscionable as a spectacle.
There is nothing noble in killing a helpless animal for sport. And make no mistake about it; the bull is helpless, no matter its size. These poor animals are drugged before they step into the ring, debilitated and weighed down with sandbags in advance so as to be weakened, and have their horns shaved to impair their coordination. The minute the bull enters the ring the picadors (riding blindfolded horses that are also abused and often gored by the bull fighting for its life) stab it repeatedly in the back and neck, impairing its ability to lift its head and making it lose massive amounts of blood. Then the banderilleros come out on foot and proceed to distract and exhaust the bull by making it run around in circles. Finally, when the bull is near exhaustion and weak with blood loss, the “mighty” matador comes out and, after provoking a few charges from the poor animal (making it appear as if it’s really a fight among equals), plunges a sword into the bull’s neck and into its heart. Too often, the bullfighter misses his mark and the animal lingers on in agony and has to be stabbed to death again and again to put it out of its misery. Sport, you say? As a final indignity, the bull’s ears and tail are cut off and presented as a gift to the audience. In many instances, the bull’s not even dead yet.
These poor animals are drugged before they step into the ring, debilitated and weighed down with sandbags in advance so as to be weakened, and have their horns shaved to impair their coordination. -
Yes, every once in a while we hear about the odd bullfighter getting gored or a cowboy getting thrown off a horse and getting seriously injured, but in all honesty, I have trouble sympathizing with someone who knowingly and freely chooses to be in that ring or that rodeo, The bull never had a choice. The horses with the broken spines never had a choice. The dogs mauled to death and killed off for the sake of entertainment never had a choice.
Isn’t it about time we started questioning the notion of watching a helpless animal suffer and in many cases die for the sake of entertainment as sport? Isn’t it time we stopped labelling these cruel spectacles as sport? Sport implies that we don’t know the outcome of a competition. In each and every event mentioned here, the outcome has been rigged and the animal never stands a chance. It is being led to its slaughter. A painful death awaits it with absolute certainty.
Attitudes are thankfully slowly changing. Barcelona recently declared itself an “anti-bullfighting city” and 38 Catalan municipalities followed its lead. The last bullring in Barcelona closed in 2006 because of poor attendance. But they’re not changing quickly enough. It’s been reported that each year, within Spain, 24,000 bulls are killed in front of an audience of 30 million people. As entertainment.
It’s time we took a good long hard look at what continues to pass for amusement around the world and in our own backyards and did something about it.
Yes, animals die everyday from both tragic and natural circumstances. Yes, animals are bred and killed for human consumption - and whether vegetarianism is a much more moral option remains a discussion for another day - but to have animals die for mere human entertainment is senseless and heartless. It brands us as nothing more than savages and makes us willing perpetrators of glorified and sanctioned animal abuse.
Holocaust survivor and acclaimed author Elie Wiesel once said: “The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference.” It’s too easy in this world to ignore what’s not in front of us and refuse to give it too much thought. But if were to stop and take a good hard look we’d be ashamed of what we’ve become so indifferent to.
