Then you may never have seen a rodeo calf running for its life, lassoed around the neck, and then pulled so hard that it is catapulted into the air. The lives of rodeo animals are filled with abuse, neglect and torture. Here are some facts about the rodeo that you should know. Maybe it's a flank strap, spurs, hooks. You see hooking, hitting, kicking and shocking animals in the face and genital areas is very common at the rodeo.
Few laws protect animals exploited and abused in rodeos.
However, in Rhode Island, calf-roping is banned and a veterinarian is required to be at every performance. In Pittsburgh, PA, a law prohibiting the use of electric prods and flank straps effectively bans rodeos, since most rodeos currently use these devices. Dr. C.G. Haber, a veterinarian who spent 30 years as a federal meat inspector, worked in slaughterhouses and saw many animals discarded from rodeos and sold for slaughter. I have seen animals with six to eight ribs broken from the spine and, at times, puncturing the lungs. These injuries are a result of animals being thrown in calf roping events or being jumped on from horses during steer wrestling.