Ending cruel bloodsports in Spain
News
Bullfighting is not the only ‘tradition’ involving the public torture of animals in the name of entertainment.
Bullfighting
In bull fights, the bulls are taunted before the fight even begins, and by the time they enter the right they have been subjected to stress and exhaustion before the matador begins their fight. This is never an equal battle – it a staged, ordeal and torture. The bull lives its last moments in agony and terror, just for public amusement and tourists.
Toro de la Vega
Mounted horsemen armed with steel-tipped lances pursue a bull to its death, who has been released to run through the streets of the city trying to escape before being chased out of the town and being brutally killed.
Toro de Fuego
A tethered bull has flammable material stuck to his horn, which is set on fire. The animal tries to escape the searing flames, in fear and great stress – sometimes for over an hour. The bull's violent attempt to shake the fire off can dislocate his neck vertebra, and despite the mud covering his body, he will suffer burns to the head, the eyes and back, where sparks and embers rain down. After the prolonged panic, the bull is towed away and slaughtered.
The Carnival of Pero Palo
A festival where a donkey is dragged through the streets ridden by an intoxicated person through a crowd who fire shotguns and bang drums next to the animal. The donkey falls and suffers from stress throughout the show, which lasts for about one hour.
These practices have no place in a modern, progressive nation.
These practices have no place in a modern, progressive nation.