A Saturday afternoon incident during Day 9 action at the Calgary Stampede has claimed the life of a steer.
According to Stampede officials, the injury occurred during what appeared to be a normal run of steer wrestler Casey Martin. After the animal was wrestled to the ground, it struggled to return to its feet. Veterinarians rushed to the infield to assist the animal.
The steer was assessed and the veterinary staff determined its injuries were untreatable. A decision was made to humanely euthanize the animal.
“You never want to see something like this,” said Casey Martin. “I run horned cattle on my ranch and I throw them down often to do medical and field doctoring. When I realized this steer was injured I held him still to prevent any further injury.”
Stampede officials say Saturday’s incident was the third steer fatality in the past decade, a rare occurrence given the fact that more than a thousand steers have competed in the event during that period of time.
A necropsy will not be performed as the animal’s injuries were evident during the assessment conducted by veterinarians.
