Success: Eight Companies Withdraw Sponsorship from Rodeo

Target: Bill English, Prime Minister of New Zealand

Goal: Commend companies for withdrawing sponsorship, and continue the fight to end rodeos.

A rodeo in New Zealand has recently come under fire after a video showing acts of animal abuse was released. Since the footage was leaked, there has been a massive public outcry, and it is beginning to pay off. Eight companies who previously sponsored the rodeo events, providing merchandise as well as financial support, have withdrawn their sponsorship of the rodeo. This marks a victory for animal welfare in New Zealand because without the sponsors, the rodeos will not be able to continue.

Although government restrictions would perhaps be the easiest and most direct way to stop rodeos, the actions of these companies go to show that there are any number of avenues for the voices of the public to be heard. In this instance, public outcry — including online petitions, like this one published here on ForceChange — influenced sponsors to pull their funds from a harmful, inhumane event.

We must thank these corporations for their support of our cause, and point out to the government that there is more still to be done. Eight conscientious companies are looking after the best interests of the citizens of New Zealand more than their own government. Sign this petition to show your support for the withdrawal of sponsorship, and ensure further actions are taken by the government to regulate or ban rodeos.

PETITION LETTER

Dear Mr. Prime Minister,

As I’m sure you are aware, a rodeo in your country has recently come under fire for acts of animal abuse caught on video. The public response has been tremendous. Countless emails and petitions were written condemning these cruel, inhumane practices, and they paid off. This week, eight corporations withdrew their sponsorship of the rodeos. This means reduced financial support for rodeos and for the animal cruelty that they represent.

Without this money, it is likely the rodeos have to shut down, and this poor treatment of animals may finally be put to an end. However, without government regulation there is no way to ensure that. Most of the population of New Zealand has already voted to support a ban on rodeos. Use your power as prime minister to show your solidarity with these companies, and shut down these rodeos once and for all.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo Credit: Skarabeusz


14 Comments

  1. Cynthia Mattera says:

    A rodeo is NOT entertainment. Its “animal cruelty and abuse” at its finest! Please shut them down for good!

    Thank you!

    • Sir I’m a rodeo competitor and we’re not hurting the animals at all they’re fine there’s nothing u need to worry about

      • How do you know, do you have telepathic communication with the animals. How can you be so sure they are not hurt mentally by the terror of it? Try imagining yourself in the animals place, how would YOU feel.

      • ANNEMIE KRUGER says:

        You can’t be serious! You must be an idiot to think this can be true! This is “animal cruelty and abuse” at its finest!

  2. Rodeos are quickly becoming crimes of the past. The public no longer views animals in rodeos, circuses and zoos as entertaining, it’s greed driven and cruel abuse to these animals.

  3. You City Slikers don’t realize how much we cowboys love rodeos and we don’t “ABUSE ANIMALS” or light them on fire it is in our heritage, it’s been around for hundreds of years and you guys are all crying about how one little calf or steer is tied (team Roping) (tie down) And it doesn’t even hurt them and I bet there tuffer then you. So LETS KEEP RODEO IN OUR HERITAGE so we can pass it down to our grandkids!

  4. Rosslyn Osborne says:

    I used to think that the only fare part of the rodeo was the bareback bronc ride and the bull ride. Figuring man against beast with no ropes or saddles to hold on to, and these animals would naturally buck anyway.
    Oh! so wrong!
    Even the most passive pony would buck and kick with a rope tied tightly around his genital area with a huge bell flapping and banging under him.
    These animals are for the most part well fed and looked after until the rodeo season starts when they are trucked to venues for days on end, in hot trucks, then stand in yards all day long apart from when they are prepared for the chute.
    Then they are constantly ‘hit’ with jiggers, whips and prods to lumps of wood, to get them into place, then ‘hit’ again with electric jiggers just before the gates open.
    Now that is just the adult animals you can imagine the horrific experience the weaners (3-4 mth old calves) go through! A chance to run away for your life… when suddenly something grabs your hind leg ripping it from under you, and then your strangling! Suddenly your are thrown with a hell of a thump to the ground with a heavy lump of human on you.
    Heck, just a normal fall to the ground leaves sore muscles, but have this done several times a day for a couple of days, and see how you’d feel.
    The respite is another few days in a truck on the road again…. Yep, real humane!
    AND it is all a Texan cowboy movie copy! I know I have worked in cattle yards and at assisted in a rodeo (once was more than enough to learn the truth).

  5. Carol Brandt says:

    Riley, I believe you really don’t think this is harmful to the animal. But think- everything that goes into that animal trying to get away- a mixture of fear, pain and confusion- is not something you would want to have happen to yourself. If you have a child, just imagine him or her being forced into being chased and thrown down- their screaming and crying- could you bear to see your child go through that? Of course not.

  6. ANNEMIE KRUGER says:

    “Eight companies who previously sponsored the rodeo events, providing merchandise as well as financial support, have withdrawn their sponsorship of the rodeo. ”

    Luuuuv this!! What about the other??? Please withdraw!!

  7. Let’s put the MEN in the ring with a rope tied tightly around their genital areas and a huge bell flapping and banging under, hit em with jiggers, whips and prods to lumps of wood to get them in place…hit em again with electric jiggers before the gates open, make sure to get em going, make em MAD, NOOSE them, make them run for their life and then get the rope to grab their legs right out from under them, and them thrown down, with strangling, a heavy body on top, fractures, bruising, SEVERAL times a day for a couple of days and, right after, the hot trucks, the traveling, and all over again, and then see what they have to say about it. They don’t give species other than themselves a choice, they don’t get one either…
    Crawl on your KNEES in a desperate attempt to get away from rodeo performers, like the bull, afraid and tormented, it won’t change a thing because “everything’s fine there’s nothing u need to worry about”.

  8. Margrit Simons says:

    Thank you for caring and for taking action!

  9. Thanks from the animals too! Please help stop this sh….t world-wide!

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