On 4th July 2026, a calf died after being violently roped around the neck during the Makawao Stampede rodeo in Maui, Hawaii, US, prompting PETA to call for a formal investigation into the incident.
Footage obtained by PETA showed the young cow being wrapped around a pole by the neck during the event, which forms part of a long-standing 4th of July tradition on the island. The organisation sent the recording to Hawaii News Now, citing Hawaii state law that prohibits reckless bodily harm to animals, and condemned rodeos more broadly for the way they treat the Nonhuman Animals forced to take part in them.
Melanie Johnson of PETA said, “This horrific video shows a calf violently wrapped around a pole by the neck and evidently killed after being roped in this rodeo…PETA regularly receives reports of animals exploited by rodeos who have suffered broken necks, legs, or backs. Rodeos consider these animals to be cheap, expendable, and replaceable…This calf’s death rises to the level of reckless cruelty to animals.”
Unconvinced by the safeguards the Makawao Stampede claims to have in place, on 24th July PETA subsequently sent a letter to the Maui County Prosecuting Attorney’s office calling for an investigation and for charges to be brought against those responsible for the calf’s death. Maui County Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Martin told Hawaii News Now, “We did receive the letter and a link to the video. We are currently reviewing the matter.”
The case is the latest to draw scrutiny to the treatment of Nonhuman Animals used for entertainment at rodeos across the US, events in which cows, calves, and horses are routinely roped, thrown, or ridden for spectator amusement, often resulting in broken bones, torn ligaments, and, as in this case, death.
