Animal advocates call for an end to 'abuse' at Canadian Finals Rodeo

Picketers greeted the steady stream of people trickling into Northlands Coliseum to watch the Canadian Finals Rodeo on Saturday.

About 15 to 20 people held signs asking event-goers to "stop supporting violence" and to "buck the rodeo."

The Canadian Finals Rodeo has been held atNorthlands for more than 40 years.For the past 10 years, the group called Voice For Animals has been protesting against it.

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"[It's sad] we're still at this point where we think it's okay to abuse animals for entertainment," saidTove Reece, the executive director of Voice for Animals.

She said the animals in the rodeo don't have a choice.

"People have a choice whether to go or not," she said.

The Canadian Finals Rodeo is the culmination of the season for the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association.

The rodeo association's operations manager, Kyle Rock, saidensuringanimal welfare is an utmost priority.

The rodeo association works with local veterinarians and the Edmonton Humane Society. Representatives from both are onsite for every performance.

Rock said so far this year, there haven't been any incidents.

"The animals, they know it's an eight-second workday for them," he said. "When they're done theirevent, our animal handlers, they take them out and they go back to the pens and hang out with their buddies and get to eat," he said.

Rock said the animals are pampered.

"These animals are treated better than all the cowboys," he said.

"They eat the best feed, they have the best stalling, the best bedding."

The Canadian Finals Rodeo began on Wednesday, and will continue until Sunday.