People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) wrote Yellowstone star Kevin Costner encouraging him to "step down" as this year's Calgary Stampede parade marshal. .The Calgary Stampede announce Tuesday legendary actor, producer, director and musician Kevin Costner, will lead this year's parade on July 8..The letter addressed to Costner from PETA's executive VP Tracy Reiman said it was urging him to "step down in light of the egregious animal suffering and deaths associated with the event." .“Year after year, this reckless rodeo runs gentle horses to death,” said PETA senior VP Lisa Lange in a release..“PETA is calling on Kevin Costner to cut ties with the Calgary Stampede before it costs more animals’ lives.”.The letter stated "more than 70 animals have been killed in the Stampede's chuckwagon races so far," and told Costner his association with the event "would encourage the carnage to continue." ."During these reckless and dangerous races, teams of horses are forced to pull wagons around a track at breakneck speeds," said Reiman in the letter. ."Throughout the ordeal, they can be seen foaming at the mouth with their eyes rolling back in their heads. Many have sustained broken legs or backs or suffered heart attacks." .Reiman said at least one horse is killed as a result of the races nearly every year and highlighted that six horses died in 2019, "three in a scene so graphic that a tarp was used to hide it from public view." .The letter stated animal protection organizations and "countless Canadian citizens" have called for the Calgary Stampede to end the races and asked Costner to "disassociate yourself from this deadly event immediately." .PETA, considered the largest animal rights organization in the world with more than nine million members and supporters globally, has been outspoken about the use of animals during the Calgary Stampede rodeo and chuckwagon race events for years. .According to its website PETA says it opposes "speciesism" — "a human-supremacist worldview" — and advocates to end the suffering of animals in laboratories and in the food, clothing, and entertainment industries. .The Calgary District and Agricultural Society held its first exhibition in the city in 1886. Guy Weadick, who visited Calgary while travelling with a western showcase in 1908, was inspired to stage a "Frontier Days and Cowboy Championship Contest" in the city. He returned to Calgary in 1912 where he met prominent businessmen Pat Burns, George Lane, A.J. McLean and A.E. Cross. The so-called Big Four funded Weadick's vision and the first Stampede was born that same year. .The Calgary Stampede said it's committed to treating animals with respect and care and seek advice from experts to continue to improve on its handling and care of animals.."As a result, our Fitness to Compete program is considered one of the most comprehensive animal care programs in North America and we are fortunate to be able to share our learnings with other fairs, rodeos and exhibitions," said a statement on the Calgary Stampede website. ."The Stampede's strict adherence to Alberta's Animal Protection Act also means the Calgary Humane Society and Alberta SPCA have all-access privileges to Stampede Park.".Costner, familiar with Calgary and the surrounding area after filming Open Range on the Stoney Indian Reserve in 2002, said he has "a lot of fond memories of being in Calgary" in a video he posted announcing he was "honoured" to be chosen as this year's parade marshal.
