The Hollywood power couple shared footage of their family day out with daughter India, 12, and 10-year-old twin sons, Sasha and Tristan, shown riding a bucking bull.
“Starting the year with a little bit of adrenaline! Rodeo night!! I almost have a hard [sic] attack!” Pataky, 48, captioned the video.
In the clip, India fearlessly emerges from the bucking chute, riding on the bull while gripping the braided rope. She gives it a red-hot shot before falling into the dirt.
“Let’s hear it for her, guys. Indie does well,” a commentator is heard saying in a slow-motion video replay screened at the grounds, which also featured in the clip.
Elsewhere in the footage, Hemsworth’s son Sasha is also seen bravely getting on the bucking bull before falling moments later.
After Pataky shared the clip on Instagram, her followers were not impressed with the family’s choice of outing.
“This is silly fun, the animal is a living creature and is, stressed. One should have compassion and not participate in this silly entertainment, let alone support children in it,” one commented.
“Omg! So dangerous and irresponsible. Poor kids!” another chimed in, with one user writing, “This is awful! Animal abuse should not be celebrated.”
News.com.au has reached out to Hemsworth and Pataky’s management for comment.
Chris Hemsworth, Elsa Pataky and twins Tristan Hemsworth and Sasha Hemsworth arrive at the "Transformers One" Australian Premiere on September 11, 2024 in Sydney, Australia. Photo / Getty Images
Meanwhile, other followers praised the couple’s kids for being brave enough to participate at the rodeo.
“She is a little legend! Nice riding Indy!” one wrote, as another echoed, “Great work kids, I let my kids do the same thing at that age, they loved it.”
“Oh gees. The animals are not hurt. Rodeo cattle and horses are well taken care of. RSPCA make sure of that. They buck to get the human off. These are only small steers. Kids are having fun, safety gear on. I love how normal a life the Hemsworths lead for their kids!”
Animal welfare organisation Peta issued a statement to news.com.au today condemning Pataky and Hemsworth for the activity.
“Elsa Pataky shouldn’t be the only one whose stomach drops at the sight of her daughter riding a bull – anyone who cares about animals should give these spectacles of suffering a Thor-sized berth,” Peta senior campaigns advisor Mimi Bekhechi said in the statement.
“Rodeo participants use electric prods, flank straps, and spurs to burn, wound, terrorise, and provoke animals who are trying to flee for their lives. Baby animals are mercilessly chased, choked, and tackled to the ground, and gentle bulls, steers, and horses commonly sustain broken bones, punctured lungs, snapped necks, or torn muscles.
“The rodeo is, by definition, cruelty to animals.”
