48 Coffins for 48 Bulls

Posted by on July 5, 2013 | Permalink

Bulls die bloody deaths in Pamplona every year. It’s bad enough that at the Spanish city’s annual San Fermín festival, terrified animals stumble and fall as they are hounded through the streets by unthinking tourists. But what many people don’t realise is that these bulls are being herded straight towards the bullring – and an agonising death.

In bullfights, bulls are stabbed repeatedly in the back and neck by groups of men on horseback. Sometimes the lances pierce the animals’ lungs, which will then fill up with blood. The matador then enters the scene and attempts to kill the weak, exhausted and bleeding victim with a sword – often missing, so that the severely injured bull is left paralysed but still conscious as he is chained and dragged out of the arena by his horns.

Pamplona2

Today, protesters from all around the world gathered to oppose the callous cruelty. For the sombre demonstration, which was organised by PETA in conjunction with the Spanish group AnimaNaturalis, 48 activists, wearing little more than “bull horns”, stood in individual coffins, one for each of the animals who have been condemned to a painful, protracted death in the bullring.

Pamplona1

Pamplona3

Most Spaniards want nothing to do with bullfighting. In fact, the violent industry is only kept alive by massive subsidies and tourists who unwittingly prop it up. If you’re planning a visit to Spain, please make sure that you go nowhere near a bullring. You might also consider writing a letter to the local authorities or members of the tourist board, letting them know that you oppose this barbaric blood sport. Finally, the Spanish government is currently considering enshrining bullfighting as a national pastime. Please write to the Spanish Ambassador to the UK today, urging him to speak out against this regressive proposal:
Take Action Now