Some animal rights activists are demanding an immediate suspension of chuckwagon racing at the Calgary Stampede, after a horse fractured his leg and had to be euthanized.
鈥淐owboy鈥� was injured Sunday night during the fifth heat of Sunday鈥檚 Rangeland Derby. The injury was deemed severe enough that Cowboy was put down by a veterinarian.
Peter Fricker, from the Vancouver Humane Society, said he is 鈥渁ppalled鈥� that another animal was injured. He said 60 horses have died in the race since 1986.
Fricker called for an immediate suspension of the race so that it can be reviewed by an independent panel comprising members of the equine community, veterinarians and animal welfare activists.
鈥淣early every year, one or more horses die in this event and we think this is unacceptable,鈥� Fricker told 麻豆传媒 Channel.
鈥淭he race goes on and the horses keep dying and the Calgary Stampede keeps making excuses,鈥� he added.
Mike Piper, from the stampede鈥檚 chuckwagon committee, told CTV Calgary that 鈥渘obody ever wants to lose an animal,鈥� but that this fracture was caused by a genetic predisposition.
鈥淚t could happen in a field, to be quite honest with you, if they鈥檙e out running around out there,鈥� Piper said.
鈥淚t's no different than a football player sustaining a concussion who's wearing a helmet,鈥� he added.
Cowboy鈥檚 owner, Roger Moore, called it a 鈥渉uge loss.鈥�
鈥淎ny time you can lose one of those it's like, for me, basically like losing a family member," Moore told CTV Calgary. 鈥淚 spend more time with them than I do with my own family.鈥�
The Calgary Humane Society opposes only what it calls 鈥渉igh-risk鈥� events and works with the stampede to ensure animal welfare laws are upheld.
With a report from CTV Calgary
