by Eric Mills, coordinator, Action for Animals, Oakland, California “Cowboys, sensing—like gorillas—that their time has passed, cling ever more desperately to anachronistic styles, not willing to admit that the myth has degenerated, the traditions eroded to a point where attempting to sustain them falls somewhere between silliness and the outright ridiculous.” ––Larry McMurtry in the […]
Gary Tiscornia, 75, headed Michigan Humane & Monterey County SPCA
Led Michigan Humane recovery post-David Wills TUCSON, Arizona––Gary Tiscornia, 75, died on October 14, 2021 in Tucson, Arizona, his home for much of his childhood, his university and early professional years, and in retirement after 41 years of leading or helping to lead the Humane Society of Tucson, the Michigan Humane Society, the Society […]
Rodeo has had free pass from humane groups for 60 years, recalls Cox
Dean of U.S. humane work Warren Cox bucked rodeo before there was an “animal rights movement” The ASPCA, HSUS, PETA et al ignore the Omak Suicide Race. Why?! asked Showing Animals Respect & Kindness [SHARK] founder Steve’ Hindi in an August 11, 2021 ANIMALS 24-7 guest column. Hindi’s question reminded Warren Cox, the dean of […]
The ASPCA, HSUS, PETA et al ignore the Omak Suicide Race. Why?!
by Steve Hindi, founder, Showing Animals Respect & Kindness Showing Animals Respect & Kindness, SHARK for short, conducted our first rodeo investigation conducted in Wauconda, Illinois, in 1993. Our latest investigation concluded in Cheyenne, Wyoming, on July 31 of this year––less than two weeks ago. In between we have exposed the cruelty of hundreds of […]
Did the Omak Suicide Race start with a horse massacre & the KKK?
Uncovering the nasty origins of an ugly event OMAK, Washington––The 87th edition of the bizarre and often deadly “World Famous Suicide Race” held annually in Omak, Washington, is to be held nightly, August 12-15, 2021, after a year’s hiatus due to COVID-19 social distancing requirements. Bizarre as the race itself is, even more bizarre––and […]
Why Disney & Frontier Days are rich & alleged cockfighters are not
Accused cockfighters could take lessons from cowpokes & Mickey Mouse in how to cut & spin losses BURBANK, California; CHEYENNE, Wyoming; IRONTON, Ohio––Suspected cockfighting promoters James and Beckie Newcomb are unlikely to ever be accused of possessing the business smarts behind either the 125-year-old Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo and concert series, or Walt Disney […]
In Defense of Animals founder Elliot Katz dies at 86
Animal rights movement pioneer SAN RAFAEL, California–– In Defense of Animals founder Elliot Katz, DVM, “died peacefully on March 24th at the age of 86,” the organization announced via Facebook on April 9, 2021, after word of Katz’s death had percolated through the animal advocacy community for several days. “Dr. Katz was a trailblazer […]
Aloha Rodeo: animal advocates, Disney, & Cheyenne showdown
Will forthcoming film “glorify steer roping” & help to revive rodeo, or help to finish it? UPDATE: The online entertainment periodical Deadline on May 18, 2021 announced that it had “learned that Disney is no longer moving forward with the [Aloha Rodeo] project.” CHEYENNE, Wyoming––Walt Disney Inc., Cheyenne Frontier Days, and a coalition of animal […]
“I can’t breathe”: stealing slogan to use for animal causes is not fighting cruelty
Opportunistic use of phrases and imagery can come across as insensitive and insulting MINNEAPOLIS, PHOENIX, NEW YORK CITY––“It is striking to me,” wrote Mike Troutman in sharing with friends his first-hand account of recent events in Minneapolis, “how three central challenges of our time––racist policing, COVID-19 and the climate crisis––all […]
The price of defiance: COVID-19 vs. the Cottondale Mother’s Day Rodeo
Whoever that masked man was, he was not in the rodeo arena COTTONWOOD, California––There are sound epidemiological arguments against outdoor mask-wearing to fight the spread of COVID-19, and in favor of getting more people out into the spring sunshine, but those arguments were not much in evidence at the 58th annual Mother’s Day Rodeo […]