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Ask Megan

A rodeo is coming to my town. What can I do?

If you can, start taking action before the rodeo comes to town:

1. Try to get it canceled. Politely but firmly voice your objections to the sponsor, fair manager, or promoter. Stress the risk of injury to rodeo participants. Have friends and family do the same, and make it clear that the fair sponsor will be boycotted and receive negative publicity if the rodeo is booked. If your concerns are ignored, take them to the mayor and the city or county council. Also, check out our “Model Injunction Against Animal Acts” factsheet. If you would like video footage showing animals injured at rodeos, please contact our audio-visual department .
2. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. Using our “Guide to Letter-Writing” and rodeo factsheet, let the people in your area know about the plight of animals in the rodeo, and encourage them not to attend animal acts.

While the rodeo is in town, there are several things that you can do:

1. Assign one person to attend the rodeo and observe the animals closely. Look for injuries, and pay close attention to how the rodeo participants handle the animals. Do handlers use bucking straps, prods, or other devices on the animals? Also, notice how the animals are transported. Are the transportation cages clean and big enough for the animals to lie down, stand up, and turn around? Take photos or video footage if possible. If you see possible violations of anti-cruelty laws, call your local humane society and insist that action be taken.
2. Organize a protest. Make a banner and dress up as rodeo clowns, cowboys, or animals to make your protest colorful and eye-catching. You can reproduce our rodeo leaflet or order leaflets from our literature department.
3. Write a news release and send it to local media. If the local humane society has found violations or if you are having a demonstration, let the media know. PETA’s rodeo video is available in BETA SP format (used widely by television media). If any TV stations show up for your demonstration, they may want to run compelling footage from the video on the news—make sure that you have a copy of it for them. You can order a copy by contacting our audio-visual department.

After the rodeo has left town, you can continue to make a difference:

Contact us for materials to start a legislative campaign to ban rodeos or specific rodeo events from your town or county. This has already happened in a number of towns, and it can happen in yours!
Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have questions or need assistance! If you know of a school, church, or other community organization that normally attends the rodeo, you can encourage them to participate in an activity such as visiting a local park, museum, or sporting event. Visit PETA’s rodeo site for more information.


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