Rodeo Demo - S.F. Cow Palace, Saturday, October 25, noon - 2:00 p.m.

[Guest guest]

October 23, 2003

 

*MEDIA RELEASE*

 

* *

 

/ " If ever there were a completely gratuitous abuse of animals, and often

baby animals at that, all done for the sheer thrill and bravado of it,

it is rodeo. " /

 

/ /

 

/--Matthew Scully, DOMINION: The Power of Man, the Suffering of/

 

/ Animals, and the Call to Mercy (St. Martin's Press, 2002, p. 18). /

 

/ Mr. Scully is a senior speech writer for President George W. Bush./

 

/ /

 

/ /

 

*WHAT: ANTI-RODEO DEMO AND LEAFLETTING*

 

* *

 

*WHERE: SAN FRANCISCO COW PALACE – *

 

* THE GRAND NATIONAL RODEO*

 

* *

 

*WHEN: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25, NOON – 2:00 P.M.*

 

/ /

 

/ /

 

The extent of media coverage _re_ PETA's publicity stunt promoting a

name change for the town of Rodeo, CA has been astounding. It would be

even better if local reporters showed the same interest in a REAL rodeo,

the GRAND NATIONAL RODEO now taking place at the San Francisco Cow Palace.

 

A coalition including The Fund for Animals, South Bay In Defense of

Animals, PETA and Action for Animals, /et al./ will be demonstrating

peacefully in protest at noon this Saturday. Also present will be a

mobile video truck depicting the abuses of this so-called " sport. "

Legalized animal abuse, some would call it. Adding insult to injury,

since the Cow Palace is a state-owned facility, it would seem that

unsuspecting taxpayers are underwriting the abuse.

 

Last year some 6,500 school children from all nine Bay Area counties

attended a " Special Arena Rodeo Performance " at the Grand National, on

school time, in direct violation of State Humane Education Codes. Action

for Animals has filed a lawsuit, now in the courts. (That event was

cancelled this year, for reasons unclear.)

 

Much of rodeo is bogus from the get-go. Real cowboys never routinely

rodeo bulls, or wrestled steers, or rodeo bareback. Earlier this year,

the Grand National's sponsor, the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association

(PRCA), in a transparent attempt to deflect growing public criticism of

the brutal calf roping event, re-named it " tie-down roping. "

 

Can you spell " hypocrisy? " Rodeo injuries, to animals and cowboys alike,

are routine. But at least the cowboys have a choice in the matter—the

animals do not.

 

BUCK THE RODEO.

 

*CONTACT PERSON: ERIC MILLS, COORDINATOR,*

 

* ACTION FOR ANIMALS*

 

* tel. 510/652-5603*