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Second animal cruelty complaint filed over Vancouver Island rodeo event

This year, the Vancouver Humane Society filed a second consecutive cruelty complaint with the BC SPCA after footage from the Bulls, Broncs & Barrels rodeo event in Coombs, Vancouver Island, British Columbia showed troubling animal treatment.
The Vancouver Humane Society urges the B.C. government to prohibit 'inhumane rodeo events' and exclude rodeos from the BC Fairs, Festivals and Events fund, citing Canadian animal-handling regulations forbidding repeated prodding of immobile animals.
Video evidence shows a Vancouver Humane Society videographer capturing bulls being shocked with a Hot-Shot Power-Mite device delivering shocks of 4,500 volts, one injured horse with bloody abrasions, and bull handlers described by VHS as dragging and choking a stressed bull while repeatedly using an electric prod.
An investigation is open and the BC SPCA cannot comment; the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport confirmed it does not fund the rodeo, with public grants totaling $780,000+ in 2023 and $680,000+ in 2024.
Previously, the BC SPCA issued a notice to the Vancouver Island Western Heritage Association, which runs the Coombs event and says it prioritizes safety amid ongoing calls for rodeo policy change.

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