The Calgary Stampede Rodeo and Rangeland Derby draw reaction from animal rights activists every year who are concerned about the health and welfare of the animals.
A University of Calgary researcher decided to study what happens to the bucking bulls and found most of the animals are not stressed out before they perform in the bull riding event.
Researchers were looking for signs of aggression and fear including tail flicking, head tossing and pawing at the ground.
“We found the animals really show very few fear responses back behind the chute and that the animals were well handled behind the chutes,” says Dr. Ed Pajor.
Researchers found nearly 85 per cent of the animals were not agitated before performing but they did discover some bulls balk when being loaded in the chutes so the Calgary Stampede made improvements.
“Changing the way people move in there and how the animals come into contact with those things, we have made changes,” says Kristina Barnes of the Calgary Stampede.
While this study is the first to look at the welfare of rodeo animals the Vancouver Humane Society says changes meant to improve safety don’t go far enough.
“We really think animals should not be abused for the sake of entertainment and that's what's happening to animals in the rodeo,”says Peter Fricker who is the Communications Director of the Vancouver Humane Society.
Pajor says, ”We'd like to take it further, to understand what they experience during the event, after the event.”
Eventually, Pajor hopes to use technology similar to fitbits and smartwatches to track and collect the heart rates and cortisol levels of the animals during and after their performances at the Calgary Stampede.
