Victory! Seiyo, Japan, Abolishes Pig Rodeos

Posted on by Nirali Shah

The pig rodeo competition has been held at Seiyo’s Okuchi no Umi Carnival in Japan for the past 25 years. However, after PETA sent a letter to the Japanese government—along with countless public protests and petitions, including one by Animal Rights Centre Japan—demanding an end to Japan’s annual pig rodeo event, a decision was made to ban the cruel show.

The twisted event allowed people to ride terrified pigs with the aim of staying on their backs as long as possible for a chance to win 50,000 Japanese yen. Most people are thrown off a pig after around three seconds.

Since so many people rode the same pigs during the event, the animals developed swollen necks and some suffered from breathing problems. Others experienced difficulty walking after the event.

What You Can Do

All over the world, more and more people are becoming critical of the use of animals for entertainment. Yet many animals are still forced to race at events or perform in circuses or are kept imprisoned in zoos for people to gawk at. You can help by avoiding these institutions and events. As long as people continue to buy tickets, animals will continue to suffer. Talk to family, friends, and coworkers—especially those with small children—who may be inclined to go places where animals are used for entertainment and explain to them that every ticket purchased directly contributes to animals’ misery.