Rowell Rodeo Fined, SHARKâ€™s Lawsuits, Dodge Round-up Rodeo Busted, More Cheyenne Rodeo Success

September 20, 2008

Friday, September 19, 2008

Rodeos - Success and Corruption The 2008 rodeo season is past its busiest point, and thus we finally have an opportunity to post an update, but there is still plenty of work to do. Not only are there still upcoming rodeos, but we also have a great deal of clean-up after all the rodeos SHARK investigators have attended. The bad news is this unfortunately includes having to deal with some bad cops, and even bad state's attorneys, both in Illinois and Colorado. More on that later. The good news is that one rodeo SHARK busted was fined $2,500 for shocking horses and another rodeo banned the shocking of horses with more rodeos doing the same. Another VICTORY for the horses!

Rodeo Producer Fined $2,500 For Shocking Horses Criminal Charges Pending

As many of you know, the Rowell Ranch Rodeo, held this May in Castro Valley, California, was busted by SHARK investigator Mike Kobliska for shocking horses, as well as for not reporting animal injuries as is required by state law. Shocking rodeo animals not only violates California state law, but it also violates a contract between the rodeo and the Hayward Area Recreation & Park District (HARD), which owns the rodeo grounds. See video.

When Mike's evidence was made public, HARD initiated an investigation, and the HARD investigator made it clear in his report that rodeo producer Cotton Rosser did NOT cooperate in the investigation. As a result, HARD recommended that the Flying U Rodeo Company be suspended from the Rowell Ranch Rodeo for one year. We suspect that the reason Cotton refused to cooperate with the investigation is because the shocker is actually a member of Rosser's family. Read full article here.. Alameda County Sheriffs Sgt. Scott Dudek explained his department had conducted an investigation into the prodding and had identified the person in the prodding video. "We felt

it was a criminal matter that could be investigated and we are moving forward with it," Dudek said. This means that the individual filmed shocking the animals may face criminal charges of animal cruelty and violating state law.

UPDATE! Mr. Rosser appealed the suspension. Apparently breaking contracts isn't enough for him, he also isn't willing to "cowboy up" and take his penalty like a man. Just days ago, after Mike Kobliska again traveled to California to speak at the hearing, the Board ruled... Saying that this was Rosser's first known violation at Rowell, the HARD Board of Directors changed the suspension to a fine of $2,500.00, with $2,000 of that going to the Sulphur Creek Nature Center for animal rehabilitation.

While SHARK would have preferred the original suspension remain in place, we are pleased that Cotton Rosser is finally having to face the music in some measure for his shocking ways. Be sure and watch a for another SHARK video on YouTube exposing Rosser's activities very soon!

Read full article here.

Given Cotton Rosser's long history of using electricity on animals to make them perform, some in the media have dubbed him the "Electric Horseman", read article here.

2008 Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo Mix of Positive Change, But Still Abusive

The 2008 Cheyenne Rodeo, perhaps the most famous rodeo in the world, was a mix of some very positive change, and unfortunately still an overwhelming amount of abuse. Cheyenne Rodeo promoters made good on their promise to ban the shocking of rodeo animals to make them perform. We didn't see a single prod during the entire 12-day event.

Cheyenne also took significant steps to stop the dragging of animals by ropers. Also, contestants were stopped from continuing to stress their victims once the allotted time for a run was over. All of these steps resulted in less animal injuries than previous years. We were also given assurances that animals were not being used more than once a day. There were still numerous injuries and this is unacceptable.

Issues that continue to persist includes cruel and dangerous calf "jerkdowns," a particularly violent roping technique, that can result in broken necks, backs, legs and other injuries. The rodeo still has the indefensible "steer busting" and the misnamed "Wild Horse Race."

Interestingly, the mascot and cheerleaders for the Denver Broncos, while showing up at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Park, did NOT play a part in the rodeo performance. We highly suspect that is because SHARK and all of you had contacted the Broncos to voice our displeasure with the team's support of animal abuse, evidence of which was provided via video DVDs.

The same cannot be said of the US Air Force Thunderbirds. As was the case last year, the Thunderbirds, who are paid for with your tax dollars, were brought into the rodeo arena to show their support of animals being brutalized, and in some cases injured and killed. At this point we can't even say we're surprised. See video. Go to CorporateThugs.com to see what you can

do. Earlier this year we exposed that the Thunderbirds have reduced themselves to giving rodeo announcers joyrides, again at taxpayer expense. The rodeo people even bragged that the announcers were allowed to shoot the aircrafts' guns!

We already have one YouTube video up exposing the Air Force's complicity with the Rodeo Mafia, and now at least one more video is planned

Following the rodeo, SHARK investigators Steve Hindi, Mike Kobliska, and Janet Enoch met with three members of the Cheyenne Frontier Days Committee. We complimented the committee members on their improvements, but expressed our concerns about the major issues that remain.

The committee members said they were looking into what could be done to eliminate calf jerkdowns, but would not give any assurances regarding an end to steer busting and the wild horse race. This apparently means that SHARK's extensive documentation of Cheyenne will continue, and the ugly images will continue to hit the Internet.

Perhaps because of all the negative publicity hitting Cheyenne over the past year, rodeo publicists and spin doctors frantically searched out media willing to tow the line of the rodeo's nonsense about family entertainment. Reporters posing as journalists who kissed the butts of the rodeo include New York Times reporter Guy Trebay, Good Morning America, CBS reporters Joy L. Greenwald and Tom Livingston, and CNN reporter Thelma Guittieruz.

The case of the CBS reporters was particularly egregious. On the morning the piece aired, we saw the morning show host hyping the upcoming story, so SHARK investigator Janet Enoch quickly drove to Cheyenne Park and found the reporters. She informed them of the history of abuse at Cheyenne, as well as the footage that we had gathered in the previous days. But the CBS charlatans already had their positive spin prepared, and they weren't a bit interested in reporting the real news.

Nevertheless, and in spite of phony journalists kissing the tails of phony cowboys, SHARK has gotten publicity on rodeo animal abuse at Cheyenne and other rodeos nationwide via a few real journalists, and largely by way of the Internet. Yee, as they say, ha!

Speaking of Cheyenne... Absurd Lawsuit Against SHARK - Thrown Out!

The lawsuit filed against SHARK in connection with musical actswithdrawing from the Cheyenne Frontiers Days entertainment lineup (Read more) has been thrown out by a federal judge.. The determination was, as argued by SHARK's lawyers, the lawsuit had been filed in the wrong state (Wyoming). Lawyers for the booking company who sued us did not file an appeal of the ruling within the thirty day time limit. While the lawsuit could be re-filed in Illinois, and while SHARK is perfectly ready to deal with it if that happens, we do not think the case will go any farther. Yeah!

PRCA Court News PRCA's False Claim of Copyright of SHARK's Rodeo Videos Unlike the Cheyenne lawsuit against us, SHARK's lawsuit against the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) for falsely claiming copyright of YouTube videos shot by SHARK investigators is alive and well, and moving forward. Read here.

For some two months, the PRCA did everything possible to avoid being served. They don't sound much like big, brave cowboys, do they? Their luck finally ran out and now the rodeo folks have to deal with a lawsuit, that I believe, they cannot win.

This lawsuit, as with the case that was thrown out in Wyoming, has already made worldwide news. There will undoubtedly be more such news when there is a final disposition, again bringing worldwide attention to the issue of animal cruelty and deaths in rodeos.

2008 Dodge City Experiences Another SHARK Attack Dodge City Round-up Shocks Horses

If a rodeo kicks SHARK investigators out for filming, as happened at the 2007 Dodge City Round-Up, about the only thing that is certain is that those investigators will be back. This truth apparently slipped by promoters of the Dodge City Rodeo promoters this year... Those promoters allowed horses to be shocked at the Dodge City Rodeo, and now they are going to pay a heavy price, compliments of the internet, where we will post one or more videos exposing the whole, rotten mess. See video. Sign at Dodge City Round-up

Rodeo

Even when we were kicked out last year, we already had enough to go on, and we put up a YouTube video exposing Dodge City Round-Up's cruelty. See video. Our video also exposed the wannabe cowboy running the show

-- Dr. R.C.Trotter. We know that Trotter and company were stung by the YouTube video. On two separate occasions someone tried to get the Dodge City video removed by falsely claiming a copyright violation. In both cases we were able to get the video re-instated.

Now we are stunned to learn that Doc Trotter is the Chief of Staff at Western Plains Medical Complex, which is owned by LifePoint Hospitals. That gives us a pretty good idea of who it was that tried so desperately to get our video taken down. SHARK sent an e-mail to both Western Plains Medical Complex and to LifePoint Hospitals regarding this issue so they could see the evidence themselves. SHARK has yet to receive a response.

Another interesting detail of the Dodge City Rodeo was that rodeo announcer Boyd Polhamus used each night's performance to attack Wal-Mart (for more corporate sponsors of rodeos - see CorporateThugs.com), a longtime rodeo sponsor, for NOT sponsoring the rodeo this year. So much for any concept of loyalty from Polhamus or any other rodeo fanatic. Keep SHARK's Successes Against the Rodeos Going Strong Keep Helping the Innocent Victims of Rodeos

With your support we 've done a remarkable job this summer of exposing the rodeo animal abusers, getting amazing media attention to the issue of cruelty and deaths in rodeos and educating millions in the process. Let's keep the pressure on!! Please help us to continue this important work with your much needed contribution! Every dollar helps and is put to immediate use! Donate today.

Other ways to help SHARK that don't cost you anything: Help with E-baySHARK needs a volunteer to sell some things for SHARK on E-bay, etc. Contact us at info if you can help. GoodSearch.comAlways use GoodSearch.com and select SHARK as your charity. GoodSearch.com is a non-profit search engine that gives small donations every time supporters use it for their online searches. Add a GoodSearch toolbar or put it in your favorites today! Kindest Regards, Steve Hindi and Your SHARK Team

"Kindness and compassion towards all living beings is a mark of a civilized society. Racism, economic deprival, dog fighting and cock fighting, bullfighting and rodeos are all cut from the same defective fabric: violence. Only when we have become nonviolent towards all life will we have learned to live well ourselves." - Cesar Chavez, civil rights and labor leader, founder of the United Farm Workers