Animal rights group petitions board for Auckland rodeo ban

Direct Animal Action
Photo credit: Direct Animal Action

Protesters will take to the streets and demonstrate outside Warkworth Rodeo in Auckland on New Year's Day.

It is the fifth year in a row they'll be there, organisers frustrated following a number of animal deaths last season.

Direct Animal Action spokesperson Apollo Taito says more people are getting on board with the idea, and they expect more than 100 activists to show up.

"Probably our largest numbers will come along, which is pretty great because it's a public holiday - it's just an indication of how people have had enough of rodeos in Auckland."

 

Protesters at events in January 2019.
Protesters at events in January 2019. Photo credit: Direct Animal Action

A petition has also been launched by Direct Animal Action, calling on the Rodney Local Board to ban the sport.

"We're doing a petition to the local board to put a ban on the Warkworth rodeo, especially because it's the only rodeo in the Auckland area."

Taito says Wednesday's protest will be peaceful.

"A short-term victory for us would be for the Government to meet their election promises around banning the worst types of rodeo, and the use of electric prodding, flank straps." 

New Zealand Rodeo Cowboys Association president Lyle Cocks told Newshub in October the industry is keeping an eye on the animals.

"We operate under a very useful code of welfare that's put out by Government and we are working with them now to make changes to make it better."

But he also thinks there's not much that can be done to satisfy the protestors.

"Most of the protests are around the use of animals for anything, it's not just rodeo they protest against racehorses, they protest against farms, farm animals."