Two animal rights activists chained themselves to a fence along the chuckwagon racetrack at the Calgary Stampede Friday night.
The protesters, acting on behalf of the Vancouver Animal Defense League, delayed the first night of the GMC Rangeland Derby by more than half an hour, reports the Calgary Herald.
A YouTube video capturing the protest shows the activists holding signs that read "Blood Sport" and "No More Dead Horses."
Eventually the protesters were covered with a black tarp until Stampede officials could cut loose their chains, reports 770 News.
Stampede spokesman Kurt Kadatz told Vancouver radio station CKNW there were two people who didn't want the races to be held — and 16,000 who did.
However, a spokesman for the activist group told the Calgary Herald they plan to "protest vigorously" throughout the 10 days of Stampede.
“The problem with the races is 60 horses have died horrifically in chuckwagon races (at the Calgary Stampede) since the 1980s,” said Len Goldberg.
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