These Cruel Spanish Animal Torture Events Have Links to the Catholic Church
You may have heard that bulls are beaten, stabbed, tormented, and killed in the name of “tradition” at various events in Spain, but did you know much of this is done in the name of religion?
Shockingly, the Catholic Church is an accomplice in the horrific abuse of bulls, cows and other animals throughout the country. Many events are held in honour of Catholic saints, and Pope Leo XIV has yet to speak out against this vile industry. This must end now.
Find out how animals are tortured in the name of religion in Spain – and tell the Catholic Church to end this madness.
San Fermín’s Running of the Bulls: Bulls Forced to Run Then Slaughtered
San Fermín festival celebrates the life and legacy of Pamplona’s first bishop and patron saint, Saint Fermín. But the horrific killing of 60 bulls during this 10-day-long event is incompatible with Catholic doctrine, which clearly states that “It is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly.”
During the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, the bulls are chased through the city streets, where they risk crashing into barriers and walls, falling and breaking their legs, or colliding with each other.
Many people who attend this cruel spectacle don’t realise that the same bulls are tortured to death in the bullring later the same day.
In the bullring, men taunt and stab each bull with a lance and several harpoon-like banderillas before the matador stabs the exhausted animal with a sword. A knife is then used to cut his spinal cord. The bull may be paralysed but still conscious as his ears or tail are cut off and presented to the matador as a trophy and his body is dragged from the arena.
Toro Embolado (Fire Bull): Bulls’ Horns Set on Fire
This cruel fiesta has been taking place for centuries in my parts of Spain – including the Valencian Community, Andalusia, and even Catalonia, where bullfighting spectacles in an arena stopped in 2011. Many of these events are held in honour of Catholic saints – such as Saint Augustin in San Agustín (Castellón) or on Easter Sunday, like in Vejer de la Frontera (Cádiz).
The bull (or cow) is violently restrained against a pole with rope while balls of pitch (a sticky, black substance made from coal tar or petroleum) are stuck onto his horns and set on fire. Terrified and often suffering burns, the bull is released onto blocked-off streets or the bullring. Desperately trying to escape the fire, he thrashes and runs in panic until exhaustion sets in – all while spectators cheer and run around him.
The shock and stress are so intense that bulls have collapsed and died during the event. These bulls and cows are rented to towns and villages to be used in their barbaric festivities. Usually, toro embolado is their final nightmare – this final ordeal often leaves them so psychologically scarred that they never recover, and they are ultimately sent to slaughter.
Bous a la Mar (Bulls to the sea): Bulls Fall Into the Sea
This violent event in honour of local patron saints takes place in towns along the coast of the Valencian Community, including Costa Blanca destinations favoured by British tourists such as Dénia and Jávea.
Participants harass and provoke the bulls, one at a time, to fall into the sea, sometimes hitting them while hiding behind protective barriers. Once in the water, the bull – exhausted and disoriented – is dragged back to shore with ropes tied around his head, gasping for air. Some have drowned in the process, and the ones that survive are returned to their farms and repeatedly used in similar spectacles throughout the season until they are deemed no longer “useful” and are sent to slaughter.
Encierro del Pilón (Pilón Bull Run): Cows Forced to Run by Cliffs
Held since the 18th century and declared a ‘Festival of Tourist Interest’ in Navarra, El Pilón is meant to be a religious celebration held in honour of the Virgin of Nieva, but in reality, it’s a merciless spectacle of animal abuse. Cows and heifers are forced to run at high speed down a narrow dirt path bordered by cliffs. Spectators harass the animals, and in their desperate attempts to escape, many fall from the cliffs.
Toro de San Juan (Bull of San Juan): Bull Harassed and Shot to Death
Another ‘Festival of Tourist Interest’, it is held in honour of Saint John the Baptist. Each year in Coria (Cáceres), a bull is chased and harassed through the town’s streets by frenzied men and women. Once he is exhausted and cannot run anymore, he is cornered and executed point-blank with a shotgun while the crowd around him applauds. Until 2009, festival goers would also throw darts and beat the bulls as part of the event.
Becerradas: Young Calves Stabbed to Death
Hundreds of calves – some barely weaned from their mothers – are forced into the bullrings every year across Spain, especially in Castilla-La Mancha, the Madrid region, Andalusia, and Castilla y León. The calves are tormented, tortured, and ultimately killed by locals who want to show off as “bullfighters.” These violent events are particularly popular because of the lower cost of young calves compared to fully grown bulls, and because local authorities are not required to hire professional matadors. Many becerradas are held as part of local festivities in honour of Catholic saints, such as the Festival of Saint Roch in Ledaña (Cuenca).
The participants repeatedly stab the young animals, who suffer a slow, agonising death, while spectators laugh and cheer.
Toro ensogado (Rope bull): Bull Tied With Ropes and Forced to Run
This sadistic event involves tying ropes to a bull’s head to control and manipulate his movements while forcing him to run through the streets. To provoke the bulls, the organisers use electric shocks and sticks before releasing the terrified animals into the streets.
This barbaric festival takes place in several regions of Spain, most notably in parts of the Valencian Community and Aragón, with hundreds of bulls exploited every year during local fiestas – many of which are held in honour of Catholic saints, such as the fiestas of Saint Mark in (Jaén).
The prolonged distress and physical strain push the bulls to their limits, causing exhaustion, heavy breathing, and excessive salivation. The bulls often suffer gruesome injuries as they collide with walls, metal fences, and road signs in their attempt to escape.
Tell the Catholic Church to End Support for Bullfighting!
Let the Catholic Church know that they must end support for these cruel spectacles now.
Find out more about how bulls are tortured in the name of ‘entertainment’:
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