Rodeo organisers accused of covering up second death at Gisborne event

Friday, 11 January 2019

Footage of the bull which dislocated its leg at a rodeo in Gisborne in late December.

Rodeo officials have been accused by animal rights groups of covering up a second animal's death at a rodeo in Gisborne last month.

Marianne Macdonald, head of campaigns at animal rights organisation SAFE, said they were alerted to the incident, where a horse was killed after allegedly escaping a chute and running into a fence at a rodeo in Gisborne on December 27.

Rodeo officials confirmed the horse's death, but New Zealand Cowboys Rodeo Association president Lyal Cocks said it was the result of an accident.

'While any accident involving stock is regretted and saddens all rodeo members, this unusual accident away from the competition could have happened in any stockyards or paddock anywhere in the country and would not be news,' Cocks said.

Protests outside the Wanaka Rodeo on Wednesday, January 2. Rodeo officials have been accused of covering up animal deaths. (File photo)

* About 5000 attend Wanaka Rodeo despite protests

* [Horse dies at rodeo weeks after measures put in place

In late December, a bull was killed at a Gisborne rodeo. Now animal rights groups are claiming officials covered up a second death, that of a horse. A photo shows the bull which was killed.

](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/108009108/horse-dies-at-methven-rodeo-weeks-after-new-animal-safety-measures-put-in-place)* Bull breaks leg, euthanised at Martinborough rodeo**

At the same rodeo a bull was shot dead after it dislocated its leg.

A rodeo was held in Wanaka on January 2. Hundreds turned out for the event. (File photo)

Macdonald said it was concerning that despite being interviewed several times about the bull's death, Gisborne rodeo officials did not mention the horse's death.

'It's really a continuation of the secrecy that the rodeo community throughout New Zealand have been practising, because they've had bans on people being allowed to film or take photos or video at most of the rodeos around the country in the last two seasons.'

Lyal Cocks, president of the New Zealand Cowboys Rodeo Association, said the death was an 'accident'. (File photo)

SAFE was renewing calls for a total ban on rodeo in New Zealand, saying there was no way of ever knowing the true number of rodeo deaths.

The Labour Party had campaigned that it would get rid of calf-roping and flank straps if it was elected, which Macdonald hoped would be honoured.

Lynn Charlton, spokeswoman for Anti Rodeo Action New Zealand, said rodeo clubs were regularly covering up animal deaths.

'They're abusing animals with horrendous violent actions and assaults and the New Zealand public has absolutely had a gutsful.'

Officials failed to mention the horse's death, which happened within 'hours' of the bull's death, she said.

Neither organisation had any footage of the horse's death.

The death was the fourth known rodeo-related animal death of 2018. As well as the bull at the same Gisborne event, a horse died at a Methven rodeo in October, and a bull was killed at a Martinborough rodeo in February.

Cocks said the incident had been reported to the Ministry of Primary Industries.

The association had become 'cautious' about speaking out in 'an environment of extreme negativity towards rodeos', he said.

Protesters from Direct Animal Action will be holding tombstone-shaped placards outside the Mid-Northern Rodeo in Whangarei on January 12.

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