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September 29, 2021
PETA’s claims against Bandera Wranglers dismissed by district judge
By Jessica Nohealapa’ahi
The Bandera Prophet
The Bandera Wranglers had their day in court, which not only exonerated the group from all charges brought against them by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), but may have set legal precedent.
The Wranglers came under fire from the activist group after organizing the Bandera Ham Rodeo Wild Hog Catch. Protestors claimed the event was cruel, and filed charges against them in Bandera County District Court.
“On June 8, 2020, PETA filed a lawsuit alleging the Bandera Wranglers had violated several Texas statutes by conducting a hog catch event in conjunction with the Bandera Ham Rodeo. PETA alleged the hog catch, in which participants catch a wild, feral hog and put it in a burlap sack, constituted cruelty to animals and sought to forbid the event in the future,” the Bandera Wranglers official statement said. “PETA futher alleged the event created a risk of spreading zoonotic diseases and desensitized participants such that they might also be cruel to humans after the event. On Sept. 28, the Bandera County District Court dismissed the lawsuit in its entirety on the grounds that neither PETA, based in Norfolk, Va., nor its former employee, based in Austin, had legal authority to bring the action against the wranglers.”
Claiming the dismissal a triumph, former event organizer and former Wranglers president Nick Barron said the group stood up for what they believed in.
“We stood to protect our way of life and ensure that rodeos and other similar events would not come into PETA’s crosshairs next. We will never bow down to their demands or back down from a fight. Today was a huge victory for us and Texas,” Barron said. “We showed them why Bandera is the Cowboy Capital.”
The Wranglers came under fire from the activist group after organizing the Bandera Ham Rodeo Wild Hog Catch. Protestors claimed the event was cruel, and filed charges against them in Bandera County District Court.
“On June 8, 2020, PETA filed a lawsuit alleging the Bandera Wranglers had violated several Texas statutes by conducting a hog catch event in conjunction with the Bandera Ham Rodeo. PETA alleged the hog catch, in which participants catch a wild, feral hog and put it in a burlap sack, constituted cruelty to animals and sought to forbid the event in the future,” the Bandera Wranglers official statement said. “PETA futher alleged the event created a risk of spreading zoonotic diseases and desensitized participants such that they might also be cruel to humans after the event. On Sept. 28, the Bandera County District Court dismissed the lawsuit in its entirety on the grounds that neither PETA, based in Norfolk, Va., nor its former employee, based in Austin, had legal authority to bring the action against the wranglers.”
Claiming the dismissal a triumph, former event organizer and former Wranglers president Nick Barron said the group stood up for what they believed in.
“We stood to protect our way of life and ensure that rodeos and other similar events would not come into PETA’s crosshairs next. We will never bow down to their demands or back down from a fight. Today was a huge victory for us and Texas,” Barron said. “We showed them why Bandera is the Cowboy Capital.”