Letter: Treat animals with respect, compassion

Ringling Bros., SeaWorld and rodeos, the common thread is animal suffering and abuse for nothing more than entertainment. After the documentary 'Blackfish” educated people, the attendance dropped at SeaWorld. Now the orca shows and breeding program are ending. A similar process happened with circuses. People understood the inherent suffering and abuse of the wild animals. The attendance dropped. After May there will be no more Ringling Bros shows. Rodeos deserve the same consequences.

Rodeos are spectacles of animal abuse and human domination. They are about profit and entertainment at the animals' expense. Electric prods, spurs and bucking straps cause pain and are used to make the bulls and horses 'perform”. Calf roping is particularly egregious, causing the calf to be 'clotheslined” while running in terror at full speed. Many rodeos even include 'mutton busting” (children riding sheep) and other events in which kids are taught to treat animals like objects. Shouldn't we treat animals with respect and compassion and teach our children to do the same? Go to rodeocruelty.com to learn more. Let's continue this progress and retire the rodeo. Ask the Cedar Rapids City Council to stop presenting rodeos at the U.S. Cellular Center.

Lynn Gallagher

Solon