Colombia’s constitutional court has ruled that Bogota’s 2012 ban on bullfighting violates people’s “right to artistic expression.” The reversal of the ban is a setback for the local animal rights community and, of course, for the bulls.

In response to the news, Humane Society International said: “Stabbing an animal for entertainment is wrong. Where cruelty starts, culture ends.” In 2013, two participants were killed during bullfights in Northern Colombia.

Colombia judges have ruled that “art” should be protected – even if it constitutes animal torture, apparently. But will they continue defend this bloodsport if more people are killed? To the judges I ask, “How many more people have to die before “right to artistic expression” doesn’t fly?” Bullfighting is among the most barbaric forms of animal torture. Even when the matador is gored and loses the “fight,” the bull is still executed with a sword. Some sport!

Spanish bullfighter in 2010 (photo: Getty)

The British hunter who trampled a protester with his horse her has been arrested. According to the Hunt Saboteur’s Association, the victim had seven broken ribs and a possible collapsed lung. The “master” of the hunt, Mike Felton, said, “We deeply regret any accident or incident that happens to anyone who is hurt.” Clearly, his remorse about “anyone” being hurt is reserved for humans – not for the foxes who are torn to pieces by hounds during their illegal hunt.

Photo: Mail Online

Hunting with hounds was outlawed in the U.K. in 2005, but it carries on due to lack of enforcement. As a result, activists continue to sabotage the hunt to protect the animals, often wearing masks to hide their identities from the notoriously violent hunters. Please thank and support these activists who risk their safety and freedom to protect wild animals from their killers.

As Sea Shepherd activists from around the world attempted to block the slaughter of 33 pilot whales in the Faroe Islands, the Danish Navy rounded up and arrested 14 of them. The slaughter is part of a “four century-old tradition” called “The Grind” during which hunters drive 1,000 pilot whales to the shore and hack them to death with hooks and knives. After the activists who were patrolling the waters were arrested, the hunters murdered all 33 whales. Here is video – taken from a safe distance – of a typical drive:

What could be crueler than rounding up 1,000 gentle and intelligent pilot whales and mercilessly slaughtering them? In 2014, can “tradition,” “culture” and “food” be used to justify this barbarism? Scandinavian countries are among the most progressive in the world, so why do the Danish sanction, protect and celebrate this annual bloodbath? Please help Sea Shepherd bring an end to what activist Pamela Anderson aptly describes as a “barbaric, psychotic frenzy.”

In response to a Boston Globe story which stated that a carriage operator buried her horse before state authorities could investigate the cause of death, TheirTurn subscriber Mickey Kramer submitted a letter to the editor. Coincidentally, The Globle published Mr. Kramers’s letter about this beast of burden on Labor Day: “Considering Freddie supposedly got a clean bill of health three weeks earlier, it seems disingenuous, if not suspicious, of owner Sally Sutherland to bury the horse she claims to love before finding out a cause of death. What, if anything, is there to hide?”

Freddy spent almost 30 years working to make money for his owners before dying on the street. They worked him until the very end, depriving him of a humane retirement on a tranquil pasture where he could enjoy his final years. Some “traditions” should not be preserved, and urban carriage rides, which are inhumane, unsafe and anachronistic, are one of them. Learn more about the plight of the carriage horses and what you can do to help.

On August 25th, we reported that police and bullfight fans attacked protesters in Southwestern France after they entered the arena in an attempt to stop or delay the bullfight. Here is raw footage of the brave activists occupying the arena and then being dragged, attacked and pepper-sprayed by the police.

One day, this footage will be in a Museum of Animal rights. In the meantime, we must continue to make history by participating in or supporting non-violent direct action, as shown in this video.