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In Spain and Egypt, Animal Abusers Become Victims

February 18, 2015 by Leave a Comment


News & Opinion

In the first half of February, two animals used for entertainment attacked their abusers – a bull used in Spanish bullfight and a lion used in an Egyptian circus. Given that many videos of similar attacks have gone viral, why do people still participate in bullfights, circus acts and other exploitive events? Do the thrills and profits really outweigh the grave risks? And is the public supposed to sympathize with the animal abusers when they become the victims?

BULL GORES MAN: On February 14th, a 20-year old man from Georgia was severely gored during a running of the bulls and bullfight festival in a small town near Salamanca, Spain. The 16 inch gash to his thigh was the worst the local doctor had ever seen.

American man gored during a running of the bulls event in Spain

American man gored during a running of the bulls event in Spain

During these festivals, which take place in villages across Spain, bulls run through the streets until they arrive at the local arena, where they are killed in bullfights. The fact that event organizers have medical units on hand to treat injured (human) participants should be reason alone to outlaw these medieval competitions.

https://youtu.be/u_4OZJHUpgs

LION POUNCES TRAINER: On February 6th, a lion pounced on his trainer during a circus performance in Egypt. The victims’s late husband, who was also a trainer, was killed by a lion in 2004.

How many more people have to be gored, pounced, maimed and killed by captive animals before government regulators and elected officials ban these barbaric events?

In the United States, three high profile animal attacks involving an elephant, tiger and orca have shined an international spotlight on the use of captive wild animals in entertainment.

1. In 1994, a 20 year old circus elephant named Tyke killed his trainer during a performance and injured 13 others as he bolted out of the arena and through the streets of Honolulu, Hawaii. Tyke was shot almost 100 times before dying. The tragic incident was caught on video – from start to finish.

2. Siegfried & Roy, performers who used white lions and tigers in their Las Vegas show, had the most popular act in town from 1990 to 2003, when a white tiger bit Roy on the neck, severely injuring him and permanently shutting down their show.

Siegfried & Roy (photo: Las Vegas Sun)

Siegfried & Roy (photo: Las Vegas Sun)

3. Tilikum, the world’s largest captive killer whale, has killed three people, including Dawn Brancheau, a senior trainer at SeaWorld. Blackfish, a film that documents the Brancheau attack and its aftermath, has made Tilikum an international symbol of animals held captive for entertainment.

The late Dawn Brancheau stands on Tilkum's face during a performance

The late Dawn Brancheau stands on Tilkum’s face during a performance

Your Turn

To learn more about captive animals in entertainment and find out how you can help, please visit Born Free in the U.S. or Captive Animals Protection Society in Europe.


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Video Captures Dozens Attacking Injured Bull

January 7, 2015 by Leave a Comment


The News

Dozens of people in Southern Colombia attacked and killed a bull who was lying injured on the ground in a arena during the annual “corraleja,” an amateur bullfighting festival held each year in several towns in Colombia. During corralejas, spectators are invited into the arena to fight the bull.

Two shots of spectators jumping onto the bull

Two shots of spectators jumping onto the bull

Video of the incident, which shows dozens of people kicking, stoning and slashing the helpless bull, has generated outrage in Colombia. In response to the outcry, the country’s Ministry of Culture issued a statement describing the ritual as “barbaric” and calling for the attackers to be punished. He has also called for a public debate about whether the festival should be allowed to continue.

The Mayor of Turbaco, the town in which the incident was filmed, defended the attack: “In ‘corraleja’ festivals, there are always injuries, there are always animals beaten and horses killed. These are the kinds of incidents that form part of the traditions and customs of such festivals.”

As more and more people become exposed to the barbarity of bullfights, governments are being pressured to curb the tradition. In Bogota, Colombia’s capital, the Mayor banned bullfighting in 2012, declaring that the city’s arena is for “activities of life, not death.” Bullfight supporters are fighting back in the courts and in the streets.

Hundreds attend pro-bullfight rally in Bogota, Colombia

Hundreds attend pro-bullfight rally in Bogota, Colombia

Barcelona banned bullfighting in 2012. Over the border in France, however, the bloodsport is still legal. In 2014, dozens of animal rights activists stormed a bullfight arena in Southwest France and were dragged away one by one by police officers. In an unexpected development, bullfight fans violently attacked the protesters.

bullfight

Bullfight protesters in France


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Bogotá Mayor Says Arena For “Activities of Life, Not Death”

November 20, 2014 by Leave a Comment


The News

In 2012, the Mayor of Bogotá banned bullfighting following a provocative animal rights campaign. It was a major victory for the community — and, of course, for the bulls.

Anti-bullfight protest in Bogota one month before ban (photo: REUTERS/Fredy Builes)

Anti-bullfight protest in Bogota before Mayor banned them (photo: REUTERS/Fredy Builes)

Pro-bullfight forces have, however, been fighting back ever since. In a show of solidarity with their counterparts in Colombia, bullfighters from around the world staged a rally in Bogotá on November 13th to demand that the Mayor re-open the city’s arena for bullfights.

Hundreds attend pro-bullfight rally in Bogota, Colombia

Hundreds attend pro-bullfighting rally in Bogota, Colombia

In 2012, the Mayor suspended the contract between the city-owned arena and the Bullfighting Corporation of Bogotá, which led to a de-facto ban on bullfights. In spite of mounting support for bullfights, he appears to be resolute in his opposition. In August, when bullfighters went on a hunger strike, he said, “public spaces should be used for activities of life, not death.”

In 2013, two bullfighters were killed in Northern Colombia.

The pro-bullfight rally in mid-November was held two months after Colombia’s Constitutional Court ruled that the Mayor’s ban on bullfights violates people’s “right to artistic expression.” In its ruling, the Court gave the city a “six-month period to resume bullfighting.” As a next move, the Mayor will likely support a public referendum that, if passed, would supersede the court’s decision and officially outlaw bullfighting in the city.

The activists will not accept the return of bullfights lying down. Or, perhaps they will protest the possible return of bullfights by lying down.

Bullfight protest in Colombia

Activist lie down in street to protest bullfights in Colombia

Your Turn

Please sign the petition to oppose the re-introduction of bullfights in Bogotá, Colombia.


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In Spain, It’s The Crying of the Bulls

October 8, 2014 by Leave a Comment


The News

It takes place once a year in Spain, and it’s one of the most sadistic traditions on earth. It’s not the running of the bulls, where thrill seekers chase terrified bulls down the street. And it’s not a bullfight, where matadors torment bulls before stabbing them to death in front of a cheering  crowd. This event, which takes place in the town of Medinaceli during the second week of November, is called Toro Del Fuego — Bull of Fire.

During the Toro Del Fuego, also known as Toro Jubilo (jubilant bull), participants drag a bull through the streets, insert balls of turpentine and sulfur into his horns and set the balls on fire. The frantic bull is released in the town square where he smashes his horns against the walls in an attempt to douse the bonfire on his head. Bulls who don’t die during during ritual are slaughtered for meat when it’s over.

bull on fire

The “festival” dates back 400 years, but it was banned for 15 years in the 60’s and 70s’ on the grounds of animal cruelty. Participants defend the festival, saying that the animals don’t suffer.

Your Turn

Listening to the bulls wail in agony is every bit as difficult as watching their desperate attempts to douse the fire that engulfs them. Please sign on to the letter to the Pope asking him to speak out and to the petition to the officials in the region of Spain where the festival is held.


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Video: 45,000 Activists Flood Streets of Madrid to Protest Ritual Killing

September 14, 2014 by Leave a Comment


The News

On September 13th, approximately 45,000 activists marched through the streets of Madrid and broke makeshift spears in half in a ceremony called “Rompe Una Lanza” (translated: break a sword). The activists were protesting an annual ritual called “Toro de la Vega” in which over 100 men chase down a bull and slowly spear him to death. The ritual takes place on Tuesday (9/16) in Tordesillas, a town 118 miles northwest of Madrid.

THE PROTEST

THE RITUAL

The Spanish activist group PACMA (Political Party against Mistreatment of Animals in Spain) says that, during the Toro de la Vega, “one hundred or more men harass the bull with their thrusting lances until the poor animal, who is bleeding profusely and riddled with holes, can go no further. As he collapses, someone cuts off his testicles. It is a slow form of torture, watched by a rowdy spectators, including parents who take their children.”

Your Turn

To learn more about “Toro de la Vega,” please visit SHARK, which translated the PACMA’s description of the barbaric ritual into English. And sign the petition.


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