BRANDON—A video filmed at last year’s Royal Manitoba Winter Fair (RMWF) calf scramble (now dubbed the “barnyard challenge”) shows a calf falling headfirst to the ground, flipping onto their back — and the Fair is planning to do it again this week.
Calf scrambles involve teenagers and young adults chasing young, vulnerable calves in a loud arena. These events deliberately cause animals to experience fear, pain, and distress from being chased, wrestled, pulled by various body parts, and sometimes dragged. They are increasingly out of step with the values of Manitobans.
Manitoba’s Chief Veterinary Officer has already asked the RMWF to “carefully assess” whether the calf scramble aligns with current animal welfare standards and its own mission. However, the Fair is moving ahead with yet another calf scramble.
In light of this, Animal Justice is urging the CVO to take stronger action and inform the Fair that calf scramble events do not comply with Manitoba’s Animal Care Act and cannot be held in the future.
After reviewing video filmed in 2025 by Animal Justice, two independent veterinarians identified multiple animal welfare concerns. A detailed opinion from Dr. Jean-Jacques Kona Boun was provided in Animal Justice’s submission to the CVO.
“The activity of calf scramble undoubtedly harms the psychological well-being of calves. Improper handling of calves during this activity also poses a risk of potentially serious injury to these animals, particularly when they fall to the ground,” said Dr. Kona-Boun.
The handling observed in calf scramble events, including chasing, grabbing, and tackling, creates risks of both physical harm and aversive experiences. Even without obvious injury, these interactions are likely to cause fear, stress, and potential pain.
“Calves are prey animals that are highly sensitive to loud, novel, and chaotic environments. When chased by multiple individuals in a crowded arena, their attempts to flee are clear behavioural indicators of fear and distress, and of an unwillingness to participate. Modern animal welfare frameworks recognize that welfare includes both physical and psychological states,” said veterinarian Dr. Malgosia Mosielski.
Welfare concerns have led fairs in Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick to cancel their animal scrambles. The RMWF ended its animal scramble events in 2022 in response to public scrutiny; however, the Fair quietly began including a calf scramble in 2024 under its new name.
“A name change doesn’t alter what this event is about, subjecting young calves to fear in a chaotic, loud and unfamiliar environment for entertainment,” said lawyer Kaitlyn Mitchell, Winnipeg-based director of legal advocacy at Animal Justice. “Being there in person last year and witnessing a young calf flip over in the air as they’re running away from a youth, responding to a natural flight impulse, was absolutely heartbreaking.”
“Cruel events that pose serious risks for both the animal and human participants do nothing to educate young people about caring for animals, and in fact do the opposite. Since the Manitoba Royal Winter Fair seems unable to read the room, we hope that the Chief Veterinary Officer finally shows this event the door,” Ms. Mitchell said.
Contact: