25 Injured at Running of the Bulls Pamplona
Twenty-five people have been injured at the 2026 Running of the Bulls event in Pamplona, including one person who was gored.
The incidents are yet another reminder of the dangers and violence at the heart of the San Fermín festival. Every year, dozens of people are injured during the bull runs, while 16 people have died since records began.
In addition to the human risk, bulls forced to run through Pamplona’s streets always face a grim fate.
Across the festival, around 60 bulls are killed for entertainment. Many tourists who flock to Pamplona each summer don’t realise that the animals they watch running through the streets will be tormented and stabbed to death in the bullring later the same day.
What Happens to the Bulls?
During the Running of the Bulls, terrified bulls are jeered through Pamplona’s narrow cobbled streets by crowds of runners. Desperate to escape, they can slip on the uneven ground, crash into barriers, collide with one another, and suffer injuries while attempting to flee.
Bulls are social and naturally seek safety with their herd. At San Fermín, they are forced into a chaotic and frightening environment surrounded by shouting crowds.
After the run, the bulls are confined until the evening’s spectacle begins.
In the bullring, men on horseback taunt the bulls and drive lances into their backs and necks. Others thrust barbed banderillas into their flesh, causing severe pain and injury. As the bulls weaken from exhaustion and blood loss, a matador attempts to kill them with a sword. Then a knife will be used to sever the spinal cord.
Some bulls may remain as their tail and ears are cut and presented as trophies before the animals’ bodies are dragged from the arena.
Torture, Not Tradition
Bullfighting is torture, not tradition. Around the world, attitudes are changing, and growing numbers of people reject spectacles that inflict suffering on animals for entertainment.
Even in Spain, opposition to bullfighting is widespread. A 2025 study found that 8 in 10 Spaniards oppose the cruel blood sport, while nearly three-quarters of young adults believe it belongs in the past.
More than 125 Spanish towns and cities have already rejected bullfighting. Pamplona should do the same.
Take Action for Bulls
Please sign our petition urging Pope Leo XIV to cut ties with bullfighting. Find out more about the link between the Catholic Church and this bullfighting here.
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