Vancouver Humane Society
Our ad “Food, Friend, Why?” is now on Translink diesel buses throughout Metro Vancouver. The ad raises an important and provocative moral question: why do we eat one animal and befriend another? Most of us wouldn’t dream of eating a cat or a dog, but when one considers the intelligence and sentience of farmed animals, it doesn’t make sense to consider cows or pigs or chickens as somehow so different.
Thank you to the generous donors who made this ad possible.
Last week, a travel article appeared on the website of Fodor’s, the world’s largest publisher of travel and tourism information, describing the author’s recent visit to the Calgary Stampede.
The article gushed over the Stampede’s recovery from the flood in June and detailed all the activities to be enjoyed, summing up the experience this way: “Part rodeo, part party, part fair, part food fest, all fun; the Calgary Stampede’s has bucked and two-stepped its way into stardom. That’s how Canada does the rodeo, come hell or high water. Yahoo!”
A similar article, by the same author, appeared on a Vancouver-based travel website. In both pieces, not a single mention was made of the animal welfare issues at the Stampede rodeo. Nor were this year’s deaths of two rodeo animals, a steer and a horse, despite the fact they made headlines across the country.
No one expects travel writers to promote the views of animal advocates when referring to activities involving animal welfare controversies, but shouldn’t such controversies at least be mentioned? Shouldn’t people who care about animals be warned about any animal welfare issues at an event? Any international tourist reading these pieces would have no idea of the potential harm and suffering animals are exposed to at rodeos.
It is difficult for animal advocates to bring the truth about rodeo to the public’s attention, especially especially when faced with a powerful public relations machine like the Calgary Stampede. It’s even more difficult when travel writers uncritically accept the Stampede’s public relations agenda.
July 13, 2013
VHS is extremely sorry to hear of the death of another horse at the Calgary Stampede chuckwagon races.
It is getting harder for the public to believe that these deaths are just coincidence or bad luck. There is something inherently unsafe about the race.
Nothing the Stampede has done has stopped horses dying.
VHS is reiterating its call for the Stampede to suspend the chuckwagon race and have an independent panel of experts review the event to determine if anything can be done to make it safe.
More than 50 horses have died at the Stampede since 1986.
-ends-
VHS has issued the following news release:
The Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) has called for the suspension of steer-wrestling at the Calgary Stampede rodeo after an animal was badly injured in the event and had to be euthanized. Another steer died in the event during the 2009 Stampede.
“Why should animals suffer and die just to entertain a crowd,” said VHS spokesperson Peter Fricker. “If these events are so hard on the animals that it can kill them, it’s obvious they are suffering pain and stress.”
Fricker said that rules changes made by the Stampede to make steer-wrestling safe had obviously not worked. He said the event should be suspended and reviewed by an independent panel of experts to determine if it could be made humane and safe.
The Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) is running a full-page ad calling for a ban on calf-roping in a Calgary newspaper. The ad, shown above, appears in the July 4 edition of Fast Forward Weekly on page 3.
The ad contrasts the compassion of basic human kindness with the cruelty of calf-roping and calls on the Calgary Stampede to “have a heart for animals” and ban the rodeo event.
A high-resolution pdf version of the ad is here.
We did it! We reached (and exceeded!) our goal of $25,000 at the 2013 Scotiabank Charity Challenge!
On Sunday, June 23, 2013, VHS supporters walked or ran in support of the Vancouver Humane Society’s work on behalf of animals. To date, we have raised $25,626 from 273 sponsors of our team members. That’s amazing!
Even though we exceeded our goal, your donation will not only make a difference to an animal that needs help, but it will also improve VHS’s chances of winning an extra $5,000 Scotiabank award for the highest amount raised per runner! We won it last year, thanks to many of you, and we’re hopeful that we’re in the running again (as of now, VHS is in 4th place overall).
This is our biggest fundraiser of the year and we’re extremely grateful to everyone for such incredible support. Every single donor will receive a personalized thank you from the VHS Board of Directors and staff.
Maybe you can run (or walk) for VHS next year. Watch this space for more updates!
Rodeo promoters like the public to think that it’s just a few animal rights activists who oppose rodeos. In fact, mainstream animal welfare agencies throughout the civilized world are opposed to rodeo events like calf-roping and steer-wrestling, as these position statements show:
Canadian Federation of Humane Societies
Calgary Humane Society
British Columbia SPCA
Ottawa Humane Society (pdf file – see pg. 9)
American SPCA
Australian RSPCA
Royal New Zealand SPCA (pdf file – see 6.4)
Humane Society of the United States
Ashley Fruno has spent her life working for animals. She trained with VHS as a teenager and went on to work for PETA in Asia, campaigning fearlessly in places where animal welfare laws are weak or non-existent, where protesting can be dangerous and where life for animals can be particularly hard.
Now, she is making a personal appeal for help with an incredible project she has taken on in the most challenging circumstances. Her story is here. Please help if you can. Like most charities, VHS focuses on its own work and doesn’t usually promote other fundraising appeals. But we’re making an exception – for an exceptional champion for animals.
Run (or walk) for the animals!!
SCOTIABANK CHARITY CHALLENGE
SUNDAY, JUNE 23, 2013
VHS is again participating in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge on June 23. This is our biggest and most important fundraiser of the year! We hope that you will join us, either by running or walking the 5k or half-marathon, or by sponsoring one of our amazing team members. The animals are depending on us. Chickens, needy companion animals, rodeo animals – we speak for them all. Please join us so we can continue to help them.
If you would like to donate to support one of our runners on the Vancouver Humane Society Chicken Runners Team, please click here . Every little bit helps, and at least one of our participants will have their donations doubled by a generous VHS donor! Last year, VHS won a special $5000 award for having the highest amount raised per team member. We’d love to do that again!
If you would like to participate in the 5k or half-marathon, you can click here for the form – there are some helpful directions below (and if you hurry, your registration will be free):
Filling out the form: When you reach the Scotia Charity Challenge section, choose “I would like to create a fundraising account”, then select your favourite charity: “Vancouver Humane Society”
Create a username and account, then go to the Discount Section, and put in code 13HUMANE and your registration will be free.
Once you’ve reached the bottom and clicked “submit” you will see a box with a ‘transfer’ button. That will take you to your personal fundraising page, where you can change your goal, upload your own photos and edit your message.
As well, you can click here to join our Chicken Runners Team. Just look at those happy hens!!
If you click here you’ll see all the charities that are ahead of us. Let’s get VHS into the top 10!!
Thank you for helping us help animals!
If you think what’s happening in this photo is wrong then help us stop it.
Support our campaign against rodeo cruelty at this year’s Calgary Stampede.