Is there much worse than teaching kids to torment baby animals? Goat tying is cruel.

I am referring to that human entertainment - at the expense of animal welfare - called 'goat tying'. It is an acceptable form of animal abuse and has become normal. This is bad.

The tweet:

Is there much worse than teaching kids to torment baby animals? The goats used in #GoatTying are less than a year old & less than 60 pounds & can be tormented by up to 5 contestants in a row until they are switched out for another victim: https://bit.ly/43ftoXl

The accompanying picture disturbs

So, what is "goat tying"? Right away, to me, it sounds unpleasant at least. Let's remind ourselves that this is a form of human entertainment at the expense of goat welfare. Does that sound right to you?

Goat tying is a rodeo event. It's a sort of competition. The competitor rides to a tethered goat, dismounts, catches, throws and ties any three of its legs together. The goat stays tied for six seconds after the contestant has backed away. No score is awarded if the goat becomes untied before the six seconds has elapsed.

Goat tying is cruel. Image: MikeB

The competitor may be disqualified if they are too rough on the goat (so they are too rough on goats sometimes!). Goat tying is typically done by girls in high school and at college rodeos. And by both girls and boys a junior and youth rodeos.

My conclusion is that this human pastime teaches children animal cruelty. And if it doesn't teach them animal cruelty it teaches them that animals can be used and abused for their entertainment.

This is exactly the kind of thing that PETA detests. And it is the kind of thing that I detest as well. Our children are the future of animal welfare. We need to teach them the highest standards of animal welfare in order to make advancements in animal welfare across the world.

How are we going to achieve this if we teach kids the wrong things? Look at the picture. Does that goat look happy and contented? Or does he or she look abused, confused and anxious?

Goats are sentient creatures. They form relationships with people and other animals. They are sweet animals. They can become pets and often do. Goat tying is essentially cruel and abusive. It must stop.