From camel racing to elephant polo, Kidzworld checks out animals and sports. Is it cruelty or just entertaining fun?
Animals in Sports - History
Animals have been used in sports since the days of the
Ancient Greeks and
Romans who used horses for chariot races. Since then, humans have used animals in all kinds of sporting pasttimes, such as equestrian (horse jumping), polo, bull fighting and even camel racing!
Animals in Sports - Riding, Fighting, Racing
Rodeos - Rodeos have around since the late 1900s. Rodeo cowboys try such events as bull riding, calf roping and bronco riding.
Bull Fighting - While many people think bull fighting is quite cruel, the sport is still popular in Spain and Mexico. During a bull fight, a matador taunts and torments an angry bull until the bull is killed.
Animal Racing - Humans have trained dozens of different kinds of animals to race in dozens of different kinds of terrain. In the Middle East and Africa, humans race camels. In the Arctic, dogs are used to pull sleds in dog sled races. And humans race horses at racetracks all over the world.
Animals in Sports - Fun Facts
Elephant polo was first played at the beginning of the 20th century in India by wealthy British dudes. An annual championship is now played every December in Nepal.
Greyhound racing was started in the 1800s in the United States, after the dogs were brought over from Europe to help American farmers control the jackrabbit population.
The 1900 Olympics in Paris included a pigeon shooting event. The birds were released in front of a participant and the winner was the competitor who shot down the most birds from the sky. The event turned out to be quite messy with dead or injured birds on the ground and blood and feathers all over the place. The event has since been dropped from the Olympics.
Animals in Sports - Good or Bad?
Some people think that using animals in sports is cruel, while others say animals enjoy the healthy competition as much as humans do. What do you think? Is using animals in sports cruel? Or is it a fun way for humans and animals to work together? Are some sports involving animals crueler than others? what you think about animals being used in sports.
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