Cruelty of 'Running with the bulls' exposed

The same bulls who slip and slide down Pamplona's cobbled streets will be stabbed to death in the town's bullring later that day. Tourists who take part in the Running of the Bulls in Spain are contributing to the carnage.

Bullfighting has been on the decline for years – attendance is decreasing, and bullrings are closing across countries that still permit bullfights. The industry survives only because of huge subsidies as well as tourists who unwittingly fuel the abusive events.

A recent poll showed that 76 per cent of Spanish people have no interest in bullfights.

This is the sobering message in a video created by Torture Is Not Culture. Sponsored by Animal Guardians and supported by Europe's largest animal-protection groups, including World Animal Protection, PETA, Humane Society International, CAS International as well as by the International Anti-Bullfighting Network, which comprises 110 animal-protection organisations around the world.

Dirk Verdonk, Head of Programmes of World Animal Protection Europe says:

“The abuse that the bulls face at Pamplona is barbaric. We urge everyone thinking of attending to help end this bloody spectacle and the cruel treatment to these animals.

“Bullfighting is cruel and outdated and has no place in a modern society; culture stops where cruelty starts.”

Marta Esteban, President of Torture Is Not Culture says:  "Putting an end to animal torture in Spain is not only a matter for Spaniards. The EU subsidises bullfighting with more than 150 million euros per year, and this, along with the curiosity of tourists from all around the world, allows this cruel spectacle to continue. Only 19 per cent of Spaniards actively support bullfighting, so it really is a dying industry."

Earlier this year, 22,000 Australians signed our petition calling on the Spanish leaders to put an end to cruel blood sports.

During the festival, each bull used in a fight is repeatedly speared and stabbed before the matador attempts to sever the exhausted animal's spine with a dagger.  Sometimes, the bull drowns in his own blood before the dagger comes into play. Other times, he's still alive as his broken, bleeding body is dragged out of the arena and left to await slaughter.