Radio New Zealand reported last month two bulls were euthanised at club events near Dunedin over summer after being hurt.
One of the bulls had its back strained while bucking in a competition, and the other's leg was injured in a fence before competing.
Outram rodeo president James Adam confirmed the Mad Bull Rodeo Club Bulls and Barrels Series on April 4 in Dunedin would not be cancelled.
Mad Bull Rodeo president Garry Clark told RNZ the injuries that led to the euthanisings were the only ones sustained among the 80 bulls that took part in the competitions in Otokia, south of Dunedin. One bull died at each of the events on November 30 and December 7.
"It's definitely something we don't want to happen," he said.
"Either of them [the injuries] could have happened in a normal farming day, and it's unfortunate that these things happen unfortunately."
Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor said in a statement last month he was told by the Ministry for Primary Industries there was ‘‘nothing to suggest there was a breach of rodeo minimum standards in either incident’’.
Safe group spokesman Will Appelbe said the rodeo club had had a ‘‘troubling’’ first season.
‘‘This club has killed a bull at each of its first two events.
‘‘This is a pattern we can't ignore.’’
‘‘MPI should not allow this club to run another event until it has been fully audited and the ministry has checked all of the club’s processes.’’
- additional reporting RNZ
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Comments
Oh, but the rodeo is such good fun. A few deaths and injuries is fine isn't ii?
The animals have no choice but to entertain us, whether they like it or not.
Time for some changes, do we really need this sort of 'entertainment' ib this day and age? But the cavemen will say otherwise......
If it were dogs that were injured in the name of 'entertainment' the organisers and the punters would be in the dock an rightly so. People who are attracted to this sort of thing for fun should take a look at themselves.
Or entertaining the ladies, putting these testosterone charged knights to the test on mechanical bulls with their shirts off, the mode control gradually turned up to 'buck like frenzy' as the ladies see fit. If they get injured, they just get 'put down'. Sounds fair doesn't it?
I grew up on a dairy farm in the 60's & 70's. We used a horse to herd the cows. We never needed to lasso calves or ride the bulls in my memory. In fact, I doubt my parents or grandparents would have tolerated any form of cruelty. This type of act dates back to the huge cattle ranches in the wild west of America, where calves are captured for branding, Bucking bronco's are ridden to 'break them in' and bulls were ridden to show what a 'manly cowboy' you really are. This culture has NOTHING to do with New Zealand farming practices of the past, nor present day farming. This practice is pure cruelty introduced from a foreign country passed off as entertainment. Have we not enough unwanted American cultural influences here? Come on rural NZ, you can do better than this. Having said that Nightimejohn, our greyhound racing has a very dark past.
