With 10 people killed this summer alone, could Spain say ‘adios’ to bull-running festivals?
Spain’s controversial bull-running festivals have once again hit the headlines after a deadly summer in which at least 10 people lost their lives, exacerbating divisions over the centuries-old tradition.
Seven deaths occurred in the eastern Valencia region where the practice of releasing bulls into the streets for entertainment has sparked debate, with the other fatalities taking place in the regions of Madrid, Castilla Leon, and Navarra in the north.
This year’s toll rising more than 10, the total number of people who have been killed in Valencia’s bull-running events since 2015 is above 30.
This summer’s victims, who died from injuries sustained while racing through the streets alongside a group of hefty bulls – known as “bous al carrer” in Valencian – were between the ages of 18 and 73. Six of them were men and one was a woman.
They died after being gored or trampled by the bulls. Countless other people were injured, among them minors.
Bull-running events are a highlight of summer festivities across Spain, with the best known being the San Fermin festival in the northern city of Pamplona.
There are also “bous a la mar” – races to the seafront where at the end of the run, the participants vie to try and make the bulls fall into the water, most ending up there themselves.
Experts are divided about when the practice of running the bulls began, but Cuellar, a town some 90 miles north of Madrid, claims to have historical records dating back to the 13th century.
And although the exact origin of the tradition is unclear, it is thought to have emerged out of the need to bring bulls from the countryside into the towns on market day when they would be corralled through the streets with sticks.
Irrespective of how it began, it has become a political hot potato for local authorities that often sparks heated debate and can win or lose an election.
Animal welfare associations have published a manifesto calling for a ban on change.org that describes bull-running events as “torture dressed up as culture and tradition” in which abuse is more than evident.
A petition has been initiated to stop the practice and so far, the petition has garnered some 5,500 signatures.
Source: Ghanafuo.com
