Eighteen of the top 35 lambs in the National Western Stock Show’s Junior Market Lamb competition in January were found to have been injected with a foreign substance and have been disqualified, the stock show announced Wednesday.
The 18 exhibitors – aged 9 to 19, from all across the country – will get neither prize money nor the proceeds from the sale of their lambs, and they may face other sanctions, said National Western spokeswoman Kati Anderson.
Also, the Denver district attorney’s office is investigating the matter for any criminal violations.
“We did get a tip the week after stock show, the last week in January, tipping us what to look for when the lambs were slaughtered,” Anderson said.
The tip came from someone in Texas, she said.
Based on tests of the lamb carcasses, pathologists at Colorado State University in Fort Collins concluded that 18 of the lambs had been injected with a substance that caused inflammation and swelling of tissue, making the animals appear more muscular.
“When selecting market lambs … (judges) want more muscle,” Anderson said.
The executive committee of the stock show has appointed a committee to oversee the disqualification process and impose other possible sanctions, including being banned from the National Western for some period, she said.
“The National Western Stock Show will not tolerate cheating, tampering or unethical fitting,” said Pat Grant, president and chief executive of the stock show. “We stand behind our commitment and obligation to uphold the highest standards of honesty, integrity and fair showmanship.”
Lynn Kimbrough, spokeswoman for the district attorney, said the test results have been passed along to DA investigators who are in the process of tracking down the people involved for interviews.
“It’s just a slow process,” she said.
“It’s a challenge when many of the witnesses and potential suspects are out of state,” said Deputy District Attorney Diane Balkin.
Possible charges include, but aren’t limited to, cruelty to animals, tampering with livestock, attempted theft and conspiracy, Balkin said.
Staff writer Jim Kirksey can be reached at 303-820-1448 or jkirksey@denverpost.com.
