Animal rights group's accusations of 'torture' inaccurate, i wireless Center director says

Font Size:

By Barb Ickes | Sunday, January 27, 2008 |

"Texas" Jack Fulbright practices a few rope tricks Friday at the i wireless Center in Moline. Fulbright is part of the World’s Toughest Bulls and Broncs rodeo. Kevin E. Schmidt/Quad-City Times Buy this Photo

VIDEO: World's Toughest Rope Tricks
"Texas" Jack Fulbright will perform rope tricks Jan. 25-26, at the i wirele…
Watch Video

The executive director of the i wireless Center is convinced that animals are being treated humanely at the World’s Toughest Bulls and Broncs rodeo, which appears this weekend at the civic center, and said an animal rights group overstated claims of abuse.

Members of Showing Animals Respect and Kindness, or SHARK, recently released a videotape that includes footage from several rodeos produced by Iowa-based Three Hills Rodeo, which is behind the

i wireless event. The narrator of the video describes animals as being “illegally shocked,” and the group’s Web site declares that rodeos are “cruel and deadly for animals.”

The narrator also refers to the use of so-called “hot shots” as “hidden torture tools.”

Scott Mullen, executive director of the Moline arena, said he was sent a copy of SHARK’s rodeo video and at first was stunned by what he saw. Further investigation changed his mind.

“We followed up on the claims, and the rodeo has proven they are abiding by all rules and regulations,” he said. “The activist group was proven to be inaccurate.

“They said the animals were being tasered, and I said, ‘We’re not going to let that happen.’ But that’s not what is happening.”

David Morehead, owner of Three Hills Rodeo, said Friday that those attending the Quad-City event will see that SHARK is “just trying to raise money.”

“They’re good at it,” he continued. “They can make a very convincing commercial. But what hurts us the most is all the misinformation they put out there.”

He said horses and bulls sometimes are prodded out of the chute with a “hot shot,” which delivers 4,500 volts of static electricity. An invisible fence, which is used for many pets to keep them from leaving a yard, delivers 6,200 volts.

“It’s an electrical stimulation to get them to move,” Morehead said. “They (horses and cattle) can be just like a big kid. If they don’t want to move, they’ll just stand there.”

The use of the prod, he said, allows handlers to move and load the animals safely.

Prior to this weekend’s Quad-City event, the rodeo appeared in Rockford, Ill., where conduct was closely monitored by a local veterinarian along with Winnebago County Animal Services. The director of the agency, Gary Longanecker, described the rodeo performances as “ethical” and “wholesome.”

Contact Barb Ickes at (563) 383-2316 or bickes@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.