On Saturday night, SHARK received video of a bull injured at the Professional Bull Riders' event in Knoxville, TN. Since SHARK can't be everywhere and there weren't any animal activists in the crowd documenting the cruelty of the event, we are lucky a spectator caught some of this with a cell phone. The spectator states:

This happened tonight at the Knoxville Arena, the leg on the bull broke right out of the gate, and the rider rode him broken all the way to 8 Seconds, my video is of the second half of its hell, where they are trying to get him off the floor. 

See video here.

A lobbyist for the rodeo stated the following to a LA Council member regarding the injured bull:

I will send you a statement from PBR and a photo of the bull, Red Alert, alive and well this morning - hopefully I'll have that ready for you later today. But before that, here are the facts:

*The vet onsite diagnosed the bull, whose name is Red Alert, with a separated shoulder, NOT a broken leg.

*Shark said the bull would be dead by morning. That is 100% false.  

*The bull will be given a treatment plan and then it would either return to competition or it will be retired to stud service - in both instances he would live a long life.

*The alternative if Shark had their way? A year ago, this bull would be in the food system and also used for shoes, belts, and clothing. Moving forward, please check in with us before re-distributing videos with commentary full of conjecture, not taking into account the official veterinary diagnosis.

Feel free to contact me to discuss this further. -David Gershwin ph. (323) 791-2319

Later the PBR put out a statement and a picture (below) of the bull named Red Alert claiming the following:

Red Alert was diagnosed by the veterinarian at the PBR event in Knoxville, TN to have a dislocated shoulder.  He was given treatment on site before being hauled to his home ranch last night and is doing well today. This photo shows him this morning before seeing his hometown vet for another diagnosis and treatment. 


 
Bull injuries in PBR are exceedingly rare - they occur in .0002% of the times a bull leaves the bucking chute.
 
Red Alert is getting the best care an animal could hope for. We are hopeful that the diagnosis from the vet provides for a treatment plan that will get him back into the arena.  If the injury doesn't allow for a return to competition but is not debilitating, then Red Alert will be retired to stud service.
 
Regards,
Andrew Giangola
PBR

The following is a response from SHARK President Steve Hindi:

I remember about 15 years ago, when a bull with a broken leg was filmed at a PRCA rodeo, and we got a copy. We said the bull would die. The PRCA claimed otherwise. It claimed that the leg was set, would heal, and everything would be fine.

The problem with the plan is that the bull was owned by Roy Honeycutt, a stock contractor who was the target of our sting for Hard Copy. Roy was truly battered on national television by our sting. While my initial meeting with Roy was strained due to the circumstances, we came to be kind of friendly. He sure as hell respected us, and knew better than to screw with us.

So when I called Roy and told him I wanted to come and see his "healing" bull, he spilled the beans immediately. The "healing" claim came from the PRCA, and he wasn't happy at all with the scheme, especially since the bull had by this time been put down. I suspect that the same thing will happen here.

I will contact Mr. Gershwin and ask to come and see his "healing" bull. In the unlikely event that the bull is still alive, we challenge the PBR to release a comprehensive list of all animal injuries and deaths for the last five years. Since they argue that the list is so short, it should be a very easy task. Then we can ask them about the tests for steroids that they abandoned some years back when the results were, shall we say, not what they wanted.

We don't back down from these fake cowboys. Mr. Gershwin shall rue the day he decided to take us on. I'll keep you informed as to what happens.

Steve

The following is a response from Last Chance for Animals President Chris DeRose:
 
Mr. Gershwin, sorry to say you are missing the whole point!  I very seldom endorse an animal group but SHARK has consistently over the years/decades proven with video, documentation and witnesses of the cruelty and suffering that takes place at these rodeos.  No one source of information is more reliable than that of SHARK.  They have nothing to gain by documenting these occurrences.  The PBR does.  It loses commercial endorsements, patrons paying at the door, etc.  I’ve always said follow the money trail and you will find the source of the problem. By the way David have you ever had a separated shoulder, I have, it’s very painful!   I can only imagine how painful it must be, even for a bull, when you have over 1800 pounds come thrashing down on it.  And how about all the bulls who have had broken legs and were killed as well as other rodeo animals?  Please sir, do diligence and do your research and don’t put out such trite. Even if you are doing this for money paid to you by the PBR.  Again “the money trail”.   

MyNewsLA.com has covered this issue. Read it here.

SHARK President Steve Hindi called Mr. Gershwin and left a message for him asking to see the bull Red Alert, but predictably, Mr. Gershwin has not returned the call. We will stay on top of this issue and keep you posted as things progress.

Meanwhile, please sign the rodeo petition that Last Chance for Animals has created asking the Los Angeles City Council to ban rodeos and rodeo-type events. This is an ongoing process that has not yet been completed.