The radio ads outlining the potential physical and psychological trauma visited upon calves, horses, and steers at the Stampede are very well known, and there has been no shortage of media coverage of the protestors attempts to make their voices heard above the cacophony of ‘Yee-Haw!” and “Rope ‘Em Cowboy!” Animal rights activists from around the country, and in some cases, around the world, converged on Calgary for these past two weeks. The Vancouver Humane Society paid for the radio ads and made no secret of it. They also made no secret of their disgust that their fellow Calgary Humane Society remained largely silent throughout the Stampede, despite numerous attempts to draw them into the debate.
Whatever you’re opinion of the Stampede, you can’t deny the facts that. Four animals were killed this year alone, and many more injured physically. Including the deaths this year, and including animals that were put down as a result of injuries such as broken legs, torn musculature, and severe spinal chord damage, the toll of animals who have died because of the Stampede now stands at more than twenty. What is presented as a celebration of Alberta’s history, heritage and culture is, in reality, the profiteering brainchild of an American entrepreneur Guy Weadick, who saw the huge moneymaking potential of a city like Calgary and decided to exploit it. Activities that, if applied to animals other than livestock, would be considered appalling, are passed of as good, clean fun. How long would it take the CHS to condemn a circus if elephants were prodded with searing brands, had clinchers cinched tight around their testicles, and tormented into a rage, all to allow some Indian man in a funny hat a chance to hold on to the bucking and maddened beast for 8 seconds. Thankfully for the organization, however, elephant wrangling isn’t high on the list of events likely to be sponsored by the City of Calgary, or the enormous Alberta agriculture industry for that matter.
The more I look into the issue, the more troubling it becomes for me. But that, of course, is only my opinion. My opinion…something that I am free and entitled to express. Doesn’’t the same right exist for an organization like the CHS? Why have they been so silent on a matter than falls squarely within their moral jurisdiction? Perhaps because their right to express their opinion is superseded by their desire to remain in the good books of a city and corporate empire so infatuated with the Stampede?
An interesting aside: as I write this, my iPod, on shuffle, has produced a particularly ironic piece of music…Rise Against’s Ready To Fall. Now here is a group of people who, instead of shying away from controversy, choose to embrace it. They stand on rock solid ethics, guided by an unshakeable moral compass, even in the face of severe criticism. Many music fans have accused the band of selling out, of acquiescing to the whim of the corporations because they signed to a major record label. The fact is that they have remained one of the most outspoken and influential bands on issues of war, global warming, and animal and human rights. The proof of this was clear to me when I saw them in concert a month ago. They responded, as they always do, to growing accusations of selling out, of being corporate puppets, the only way they know how: by standing on stage and hammering the audience with frenetic instruments and unrestrained, passionate vocals. What’s more ironic is that the band is a huge supporter of, and campaigner for PETA - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. I wonder what they’re their thoughts on the CHS’s telling silence around the Stampede would be. Maybe the folks at the Calgary Humane Society could take a cue from Tim McIlrath and the guys in Rise Against. They could try standing up for their morals despite the consequences instead of backing down so shamefully and hiding from the big money that supports the Stampede.
http://www.youtube.com/wat
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