A couple of weekends ago we (Ginger, Phoebe, Tanya and I) decided to got to Whittlesea rodeo. From past programs we'd seen on TV it looked like it would be a really fun evening - horses, cowboys, junk food, jumping castles - the lot! But from the moment we left home we had the dark question of animal cruelty at the back of our minds.
"Its our first experience" I reassured everyone, "if its horrible, we had the experience and when we get home we can protest against it." This thought helped us come through the gates with ease and after seeing all the people, colour and energy our excitement quickly sparked. After about 5 minutes of watching the first event though, our smiles quickly slipped. Riders yanked at the animals mouths and dug in hard with sharp glinting spurs. My vegetarian sister quickly got up and left whilst I stayed to document it all.
I think my photos, despite my experience, don't depict the horrors I saw well at all. My photos are frozen snapshots of energy, colour, vibrance and excitement from a roaring crowd. They don't capture the fear that must run through these poor animals minds or the pain that they must experience. Its an interesting thought - on how a camera can warp a scene before it.
I hope these photos help you to see the cruelty we inflict on animals everyday for our own benefit and motivate you to do something about it. What says, that just because we are the dominant species on this planet, we can abuse our delicate environment around us?
Just thought I'd leave you with something to think about this week...
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