On May 20th 2014, VCARE was provided time on the Langford City Council agenda to present regarding the animal welfare concerns at the Luxton Pro Rodeo held annually within their municipality. Our good friend Jordan with The Raging Kucing documented the presentation. It can be seen here:
Chek News coverage of our May 17th demonstration.
Hey rodeo organizers, if there is nothing wrong with what you do why couldn’t the news crew film the events??
Victoria Citizens Against Rodeo Events was saddened to hear that Coleman Kohorst was seriously injured at yesterday’s Steer Wrestling event at Luxton Pro Rodeo. We hope he will be ok and recover quickly.
This further confirms that these events are dangerous for both people and animals and that humans should not be wrestling steers for ‘fun’.
The news article in the Times Colonist can be seen here:
http://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/steer-gores-cowboy-at-luxton-rodeo-1.1065920
May is here, the weather is warming up and all sorts of wonderful spring events are occurring to entertain Greater Victoria citizens. Unfortunately there is still one event, while described as entertainment, consisting of inhumane treatment of animals. The Luxton Pro Rodeo is scheduled for the May long weekend in Langford. Since 2012 Victoria Citizens Against Rodeo Events, the Vancouver Humane Society and the BC SPCA have all requested that changes be made at the annual Luxton Pro Rodeo by either the rodeo organizers or the City of Langford. To date these requests have largely been ignored.
Animals are caused significant fear and anxiety during rodeo events and the risk of life ending injuries is substantial, as demonstrated at rodeos across North America every year. The only reason these events are allowed to continue is that the animals used are classified as ‘livestock’ and therefore exempt from provincial animal cruelty laws. This effectively restricts the BC SPCA from acting and leaves the responsibility to enact a by-law eliminating the events squarely with the Mayor and Council of Langford. Many jurisdictions, including the City of Victoria and City of Vancouver, have used municipal bylaws to end inhumane animal entertainment such as rodeo or circus events.
Until changes are made to address the real concerns of animal welfare at the rodeo, We urge you to please find a kinder and less archaic event to enjoy with your family on May long weekend.
Tomorrow evening at 630pm we will be gathering outside the City of Langford municipal hall located at 877 Goldstream Ave. The last council meeting before the annual Luxton Pro Rodeo is at 7pm. We have previously requested the opportunity to present as a delegation to Langford council. That request was delayed and delayed and eventually they just stopped answering our emails.
In order to let the City of Langford Mayor and Council know we are serious, we are here to stay and we will work until animal welfare is a serious consideration and will be addressed by the local politicians. They have the power to end the inhumane events taking place each year within their borders, yet choose to do nothing.
The rodeo organizers and the city officials refuse to come to the table and discuss what can be done to address the concerns of citizens.
If you can join us, we would love your support. You can join our group on Facebook here:
https://www.facebook.com/vcare2013?ref=hl#!/events/448329028631470/
Or contact us at vcare@shaw.ca with any questions.
noluxtonrodeo.com 