The Town of Davie, Florida is home to the Bergeron Rodeo Grounds, and as a resident of Davie and an animal lover, I think it's shameful to be living down the street from a place passes off animal cruelty as "entertainment". Rodeos mean constant trauma for the animals forced to participate. They suffer broken ribs, backs, and legs, torn tails, punctured lungs, internal organ damage, ripped tendons, torn ligaments, snapped necks, and agonizing deaths.
Animals are often transported over long distances in hot and overcrowded trucks and trailers. The official rules of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) permit them to be confined during transport for as long as 24 hours without being fed or watered. The injuries are not confined to the rodeos themselves. For instance, during practice sessions, a calf may be roped repeatedly, until the calf suffers injuries that require her replacement.
Despite increased publicity about animal cruelty, the PRCA has not improved animal safety. The penalties for violating regulations are not severe enough to deter abuse and are miniscule in comparison with the large rodeo cash prizes at stake.
According to the Animal Legal Defense Fund, in order to elicit certain behaviors from the animals, rodeos use various tools to make animals appear more aggressive than they really are. Such tools include the “hotshot,” an electric prod used on the animal while captive in the chute. The intense pain scares the animal into displaying abnormally dramatic reactions. Other tools include metal spurs and “bucking straps” that burn the animal’s abdomen and groin area and cause him to “buck” and can lead to back and leg injuries.
Check out the full case against rodeos here: http://aldf.org/cases-campaigns/features/rodeo-facts-the-case-against-rodeos/
Sign this petition to call for an end to the cruel Davie Pro Rodeo!
Update #17 years ago
Hi everyone! Thank you for singing my petition against rodeos in Davie! Unfortunately, I didn't feel that I had enough signers by the time the rodeo occurred, so the rodeo did go on as scheduled. However, as the petition grows, I hope to bring it to the Davie Pro Rodeo association and make a case for stopping, at the very least, the worst kinds of animal abuse that occurs at the rode (e.g. calf roping.) Thanks for your compassion, and I will keep you all updated! Please continue to share!
