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Dear Mr. Donald,
I commend Starbucks for its goal to contribute positively "to our communities and environment." Certainly you'll agree there is nothing socially
or
environmentally conscientious about animal abuse. Yet Starbucks was a prominent advertiser with extended hours for fans at the 2005
Cheyenne
Frontier Days Rodeo in Wyoming.
Please end your endorsement of horses, calves, steers and bulls abused for entertainment. I urge you to seek the truth as a "guiding principle."
"Without torture, there can be no rodeo," claims Peggy W. Larson, DVM, MS, JD, a former bareback bronco rider. Handlers bully domestic
animals
with electric prods, straps, spurs and tail twisting to make them appear wild. Graphic documentation from Cheyenne's annual rodeo attests to
its
inherent cruelty.
One photo depicts a horse forced to perform despite a bloody hoof injury. More splattered blood inside the chute indicates this horse is not the
first battered animal. A steer is unnaturally contorted into a C-shape during "steer tripping," a contest in which a rider lassos a running animal
in
a 180-degree loop that pitches him to the dirt. A photo captures a horse slammed head first into the ground. Another horse lies dead in the
ring
during the "wild horse race."
Their eyes bulge in terror. They wheeze and tremble. Some linger in pain for days before sent to the slaughterhouse. While the Professional
Rodeo
Cowboys Association (PCRA) and International Professional Rodeo Association (IPRA) claim to uphold animal welfare regulations, cruelty
investigators continue to record a high incidence of grievously wounded animals.
Animal welfare groups worldwide denounce the rodeo's trail of busted bones, shattered skulls and severed spines. Still, Starbucks is a longtime
supporter. I understand the company also backed Miss Rodeo Washington in association with Ellensburg Rodeo, Kitsap Stampede, Colville
Rodeo,
Othello Rodeo, Beard Rodeo Company, and the Washington State Trappers Association.
At the very least, I ask you to view the evidence. If Starbucks executives are confident abuse does not exist, certainly they are comfortable
meeting
with SHARK, an animal protection organization with ample photographic proof of rodeo cruelty.
Please do not compromise consumer confidence in the Starbucks brand. I strongly encourage you to cease your sponsorship of rodeos.
Sincerely,
YOUR FULL NAME
ADDRESS, CITY, STATE
COUNTRY
