October 24, 2011 Jose Pliego San Martin In 2010 15, 000 bulls were killed only in Spain, you know why? Because of bullfighting. Bullfighting is a so called “ tradition” in Spain, Portugal and some Latin American countries like Mexico and Venezuela. Reality is bullfighting is only a constant torture to a poor bull unable to defend itself. So that you can understand me better I am going to tell you about the Spanish-style bullfighting: A man, dressed like a clown, tortures and torments a bull with a red cape. Then the picadors keep on abusing him, provoking painful wounds that cut into his neck muscles with a pica.
After that the banderilleros, blood-thirsty, with an item called banderilla weaken the bull even more. Severely injured, the bull charges with rage against the steel that destroys his organs. The matador is supposed to break the artery next to the heart, but that never happens. Instead he drills his lungs and the bull often vomits blood. Agonizing in a blood bath, the puntillero puts an end to his life. Even then, he is not allowed a little dignity to leave this world in peace, his ears and tail are cut off (often when he is fully conscious), and his broken, bleeding body is dragged around the ring by mules.
Not content with his suffering, which must be too horrible to describe with words, the crowds boo and mock at him. They even throw empty beer cans to the arena. His body is then taken away to be skinned, and even then he may not be dead when this happens. That’s what the crowd watches in the ring, but what is also really concerning is the previous preparation they give the bull. The bull is not an aggressive animal, and the reason he is angry and attempts to charge at the matador whilst in the bullring is mainly because he has been horrendously abused for the previous two days. In fact, what spectators see is not a normal, healthy bull.
The bull has wet newspapers stuffed into his ears; Vaseline is rubbed into his eyes to blur his vision; cotton is stuffed up his nostrils to cut off his respiration and a needle is stuck into his genitals. Also, a strong caustic solution is rubbed onto his legs, which throws him off balance. He is kept in a dark box for a couple of days before he faces the ring: the purpose of this is to confuse him. When he is let out of the box, he runs desperately towards the light at the end of the tunnel. He thinks that at last his suffering is over and he is being set free — instead, he runs into the bullring to face his killers and a booing crowd.
And it happens to more than 20, 000 bulls a year!!!!! Calling “ culture” the organized sadism, violence, pain or death is an insult to one’s intelligence and to the development of our evolution. Your indifference makes them powerful! You MUST manifest your disgust against that criminal party! Don’t collaborate with that insane game! BULLFIGHTERS MUST BE SENT TO JAIL! In recent years, there has been a sustained press interest in the atrocities involved in bullfighting and fiestas involving animal abuse. This media focus has caused worldwide concern.
This has deeply embarrassed the Spanish Government who is under extreme pressure to change their laws. Also, it has made people in general more aware of the cruelties involved in bullfighting and the fiestas, and therefore less likely to visit bullrings. On September the 25th the last corrida in the Spanish region of Catalonia took place. This because the parliament of Catalonia voted to ban bullfighting, making it the first region of mainland Spain to do so. The vote took place as the result of a petition brought to parliament, signed by 180, 000 people who say the practice is barbaric and outdated.
The ban takes effect in January 2012. It is only a matter of time before this abomination has ended, and bulls are allowed to live their lives in peace all around the world. We should all follow the example of the Catalonians and prohibit bullfighting. Now a days there are a lot of efforts to put it down. We only need to raise our voices and express our feelings against those assassins… THINK: ARE YOU WITH IT OR ARE YOU AGAINST IT? It is cruelty, not culture. It is criminal, not fun. So… VOTE AGAINST BULLFIGHTING!!