Australian animal rights advocates call for bull-riding ban after "horrifying" leg break

CANBERRA, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Australian animal activists have called for rodeo events to be banned after a bull suffered a "catastrophic" broken leg in South Australia.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) on Monday labelled rodeo events "legalized cruelty."

It came after a bull snapped its hind leg while being ridden at a Professional Bull Riders Australia event in Adelaide on Saturday night.

Footage captured by a spectator showed the bull violently bucking before twisting and falling to the ground as it broke its leg.

"This poor bull has been catastrophically injured," RSPCA South Australia Animal Welfare Advocate Rebekah Eyers told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Monday.

"Rodeos by their very nature expose animals to a significant potential for stress, injury and distress and that is indeed what we saw at the event last night," Eyers said, "It is the complete opposite of good animal welfare."

"Bull-riding is clearly not family entertainment you would never forgive yourself if your children had to witness such a distressing scene."

Spectators described the "mangled" leg of the bull as "horrifying."

The RSPCA said it was in the process of enlisting a legal team to investigate the best way to change laws surrounding bull-riding.

"We would like to see rodeos banned in South Australia. They are basically a legalized form of cruelty," Eyers said.

"It's very difficult for us to know how many injuries occur in rodeos in South Australia because there is no reporting requirement."

"That sort of lack of transparency means that we really have no idea." Enditem