Animal welfare groups call for end to Winter Fair scrambles

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This article was published 15/03/2022 (1653 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Animal welfare groups in Brandon and Winnipeg are calling for an end to an event at the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair.

Animal Justice, a Canadian animal law advocacy organization, and the Winnipeg Humane Society with the support of the Brandon Humane Society, released a letter calling for the Pig Scramble and Calf Scramble to be removed from the Winter Fair’s activities, citing cruelty to animals and safety of the children involved.

The scrambles involve children between seven and 11 years of age chasing a herd of piglets or calves in a race to capture one for cash prizes. For the pigs, once caught, the participant places a scrunchie or garter around the pig’s neck to show it was caught and released.

For calves, participants have to remove a handling halter.

The concern from all three groups is the same: the purpose is to scare the animals and aggressively chase and grab them for entertainment, putting them under stress and risking harm to the animals and children involved, they claim.

Fair organizers have safety and the animals’ welfare in mind when planning the pig and calf scrambles, said Cathy Cleaver, board president of the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba, which hosts the Winter Fair. There is a committee dedicated to planning the scrambles, and members are incorporating several safety protocols to protect both the animals and participating children.

“The whole thing is planned to reduce the stress and risk of harm for the piglets and calves,” she said. “We’ve had conversations with our veterinarian to make sure protocols are in place, how we manage the event and we discussed having a standard operating procedure on how to manage these kids and pigs.”

There have been extensive talks with staff to make sure the piglets and calves are handled humanely, Cleaver said. All of them are experienced livestock handlers and are following government regulations. They also discussed proper instruction for the participants on how to handle and manage the animals, as well as safety equipment. St. John Ambulance will be on site in case of accidents.

Once the scramble is over for the pigs, they are brought back to a quiet pen.

“It’s only a few minutes in their life, but they are handled with the utmost respect,” Cleaver said. “Most of these kids have no experience with livestock, or touched an animal. In my opinion, this is harder on the kids than it is on the pigs.”

Even though they are in disagreement, Cleaver said she does respect the optics and appreciates animal advocacy. However, the committee in charge is determined to set an example of how to handle livestock for children. The entire purpose of the fair is to educate people about livestock handling in a fun and accessible way, including the scrambles. She is planning on writing a letter to Animal Justice to explain how they are running the scrambles this year.

None of the groups in the letter are against the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair as a whole, but they do oppose the scrambles, said Tracy Munn, Brandon Humane Society’s director and shelter manager.

“I don’t think it’s OK to teach our kids to run around and terrify animals,” she said in an interview. “There’s nothing fun about it.”

She added she is surprised livestock handlers would want to see their animals treated this way. Most farmers who raise pigs know they are smart animals, she said, so willfully subjecting them to stress should not be a consideration.

Even efforts to reduce stress isn’t enough. Just subjecting animals to stress of any kind is not acceptable to her or her organization.

“I love the fair. I think it is great and educational as a whole, but this needs to go,” she said. “Other fairs in Canada have ended their pig scrambles because they are cruel. Why is this fair hanging on to it?”

While event organizers are taking steps to reduce the physical and psychological harm caused to pigs and calves, these efforts are simply not enough, said Brittany Semeniuk, animal welfare consultant with the Winnipeg Humane Society. These events are simply inhumane from the animals’ perspective, she said.

“What we have seen throughout Canada and here in Manitoba is that modern society doesn’t view these types of events in the same way we did 20 or 30 years ago,” she said. “It’s not entertaining to watch animals in a frenzied state and placed in a chaotic environment purely for entertainment.”

Fairs in Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick have cancelled their animal scrambles because of the harm they cause to the animals involved, said Kaitlyn Mitchell, Winnipeg-based staff lawyer for Animal Justice. Having children chase and grab at frightened animals for entertainment is completely unnecessary, Mitchell said.

“Federal and provincial laws are clear: it’s illegal to cause distress and suffering to animals in the name of entertainment,” Mitchell said.

“Pig and calf scrambles are not exempt from our animal cruelty laws. If the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair chooses to go ahead with its pig and calf scrambles, it is our expectation that the fair’s organizers and the owners of the animals involved will be held to account for any violations of federal or provincial animal cruelty laws.”

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