New Zealand animal advocacy group SAFE have released a confronting new video featuring the fictional sport of 'dog roping' in a bid to highlight the cruelty of the Kiwi rodeo season, which gets underway this Labour weekend.
The group says calves, horses and bulls are "subjected to stress and fear in the name of entertainment" at the rodeos.
The video features photoshopped images of dogs being roped at a rodeo in the same way calves are, aiming to contrast the fact that people wouldn't allow man's best friend to be treated in such a way but are happy for other animals to be.
"There would be overwhelming national outrage if dogs were treated the way farmed animals are," says Mandy Carter, SAFE campaigns director.
"However, this is exactly the type of brutal treatment calves will be subjected to at rodeos across New Zealand over the rodeo season.
"We aim to challenge the double-standards over animal treatment by showing what wouldn’t be allowed by law (dog roping), compared with animal cruelty that is still allowed (calf roping)."
The national spokesman for the New Zealand Rodeo Cowboys Associations Michael Laws says the rodeos are just a form of family entertainment and aren't cruel to the animals involved.
The spokesperson for the New Zealand Rodeo Cowboys Associations says the animals are looked after and not abused at rodeos.
Speaking to TVNZ1's Breakfast programme this morning, Mr Laws says there are strict laws around how the animals are treated and vets have oversight of the rodeos to make sure the animals are being looked after.
He says the Ministry of Primary Industry makes sure every show is abiding to the rules as well. "The last thing we want to do is show anything that is distressing or mistreating the animals.
"We're very satisfied that animals are well protected and well regarded."
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