A bull leaping into the stands at the main bullfighting arena in Mexico City was for many fans an exciting moment, worthy of celebration. But for activists opposed to cruelty to animals, it was more evidence of the "savagery" of the blood sport.

"Pajarito" (Little Bird), a bull weighing over half a ton, flew into the ringside seats, true to its name, on Jan. 29. Seven spectators were injured, none of them seriously, and the bull remained stranded on the spot where it landed.

The bull was killed by one of the matadors, saving it 20 minutes – the average time that a bullfight lasts, during which the animals are chased around and stabbed repeatedly before they are killed by a knife to the back of the neck.

"The Pajarito incident will revive interest in bullfighting, whose audiences have been falling off in recent years," Eduardo Anaya, a 29-year-old Mexican who said he had been a bull-fighting fan as long as he can remember, told IPS.

But Lydia Barraza, of the Independent Animal Aid Association (Asociación Autónoma de Ayuda a los Animales), sees the incident as just another demonstration of the cruelty of bullfights. "The bull jumped because of the stress and mistreatment it suffered before entering the ring," she said.

While bullfighting enthusiasts defend the sport as a colourful artistic spectacle that preserves an ageold tradition, detractors argue that it amounts to nothing more than institutionalised cruelty to animals.

The Independent Animal Aid Association has lobbied legislators, so far unsuccessfully, for a ban on bullfights. But fans, including politicians, wealthy business people and even Roman Catholic bishops, turn a deaf ear to the proposal.

Only a few cities in the state of Veracruz, on the Gulf of Mexico, have forbidden bullfighting.

In the capital, the Plaza México bullring, inaugurated 60 years ago last Sunday, has hosted the world's most famous bullfighters, and is the focus of the activists’ protests.

Around 100 people turn up regularly to protest the fights. Although "we are nearly always attacked verbally and even physically, we do not feel discouraged because we see that more and more people are becoming aware now, which is why there is less interest in bullfights," said Barraza.

"I respect people who are against bullfights, but those of us who have grown up with it see it as a show. It's true that it's bloody, but it's something that belongs to us in a cultural and historical sense, and the brave animal that dies was born and raised for this," said Anaya.

Bullfighting was brought to the Americas from Spain, and the first bullfight in what today is Mexico took place in 1526.

"The argument about tradition is a fallacy, because it's also an ancient tradition to kill people in public, or to have slaves. Like those customs, bullfighting must be stopped because it's savage, and degrading to animals," Barraza maintained.

Fighting bulls are raised specifically for the bullring. Owners want their animals to fight bravely, so that the matadors will win the "trophies" - the bull’s ears and tail.

When a bullfighter has shown his skills against a bull that is exceptionally "noble and brave," the animal may be spared death, but this is a rare occurrence.

Before entering the ring, the animal is held in a small pen in stressful conditions. Activists claim that the bulls suffer blows to the testicles and the area around the kidneys, and that diarrhoea is induced, in order to ensure that they are bad-tempered and aggressive when they enter the ring.

Once in the arena in front of a large, noisy audience shouting "Ole!" and applauding, the bull is teased with a red cape, chased around until he is exhausted, and stabbed over and over with different sharp instruments.

After the animal has lost copious amounts of blood and its strength is failing, the bullfighter finally drives in his sword. But usually this does not succeed in killing the bull, so someone else finishes it off with a knife to the neck.

"Bullfighting is terrible savagery and should be consigned to history," Barraza said emphatically. (END/2006)

Can you believe they still do this?

Interestingly enough, during the Spanish Civil War it was the leftist Popular Front that wanted to outlaw bullfighting as a barbaric practice, while Franco and his fascist and other reactionary supporters demanded that this "Spanish tradition" continue. Why does that not surprise me?

Give it a rest, Meyer... Bull fighting isn't a right/left issue. Not EVERYTHING is political.

It's something Spaniards have done for a long time, it's part of their heritage and their 'cultural identity'. Who are we, or anyone else, to try and change that. What gives us that right? Wouldn't we be 'meddling in their internal affairs?' Shouldn't we be more 'culturally sensitive?' Shouldn't we be celebrating their 'cultural diversity?' By changing their traditions would we be 'imposing our views' on them? Might we 'offend' them?

Other cultures slit the throats of goats, sheep and dogs on a routine basis. Africans do it all the time., but I never hear PETA clamoring to change that. Why so selective?

Then how to you explain the positions that the leftist Popular Front and the Francoist reactionaries took?

Actually, most of the people I know or know of who are fond of blood sports also tend to be militarists and right-wingers, while animal rights advocates usually turn out to be anti-militarists and defenders of oppressed humans as well as animals. Ed Schultz, a liberal commentator on Air America, is a hunter but is often chastized by his listeners and urged to wise up.

I heard him once take a call from a Native American who said he enjoyed hunting several years ago but then noticed that almost all of his hunting companions were enthusiasts for war and other right wing causes. He began to wonder what he was doing killing innocent animals in the company of these fascists and gave up hunting forever. Interestingly enough, vegetarianism and vegnism are becoming more and more popular among Native Americans.

Wise up, Fresca/Scorpio; bullfighting is barbaric cruelty left over from the Middle Ages or earlier. Next we'll hear you defending the Hindu practice of burning high cast widows - you, who don't even think that Iraqis and Palestinians have the right to govern themselves.

I wouldn't refer to it as a sport. What chance does the bull really have. These so-called bull fighters jump over walls and have swords. What kind of sport is that. It's animal cruelty. Stab, stab, stab, stab some more, stab, stab, after 20 minutes of torture they kill it. Real macho huh?

Just because "Popular Front and the Francoist reactionaries" took a position on bull fighting doesn't make bull fighting implicitly political. They also had positions on carpet color and car tires... were those political?

Then you drag out the 'mean old hunter' argument. Didn't we tuck that one away after Teddy Roosevelt?

Good God, Meyer, grow up. Can't you do any better than this? Pathetic.

Yes, after stabbing the neck muscles ( el picador ) with long lances many times so the bull can't use its natural defense the matador has this sword.

Awful.

The Spanish settlers of California used to lock up bulls and bears in pens and "enjoy" watching them fight until one of the animals was either gored to death or bled to death from claw and teeth wounds, sometimes after its horns had broken off during the battle. Nothing like good, clean fun I always say.

Scorpio, you are a buffoon. The left and right in Spain did not argue about carpet colors; they argued over whether Spain was to leave the Middle Ages, with its needless cruelties and violence, behind or attempt to give it new life under a "Christian dictator."

As you all may or may know, I'm not a big fan of people. And I am a fairly recent member of Peta.

Cultures that condone this sort of thing, regardless of how long they've been doing it are simply failed cultures and those involved should be murdered. Just killed. Fuck 'em.

I'd sooner let every motherfucker in Spain die today than let these bulls miss a meal.

Cock fighting is disgraceful. They put razor sharp spurs on the roosters and let them kill each other. They place wagers on what rooster will win. Pretty savage if you ask me. Is this a culture thing or just barbaric individuals?

These things are happening in civilized cultures. I think, to really have good cockfights or bullfights, you need agriculture and livestock. If you had to capture these animals. you probably wouldn't be using them for entertainment. They'd be pissed off at people. When you have livestock, however, you can create a surplus of animals, and breed them to fight.

"These things are happening in civilized cultures."

No they aren't. They can't by their very definition. Name one civilized culture that condones or even allows this type of "entertainment" to occur above ground.

And since when is agriculture and livestock all it takes for a culture to be civilized.

This type of shit is the VERY definition of barbarism.

Cockfighting is legal in the US. It's made illegal by local laws, and there are places where it's legal.

http://www.animaland.org/asp/realissues/fighting.asp

I quote:

Q. Does cockfighting take place outside of the United States?

A. Yes. It is still common in many other countries, such as France, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Belgium, Spain, Haiti, Italy and Malaysia.

France, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Belgium, Spain, Haiti, Italy and Malaysia Civilized nations. The term make me wonder how civilized they really are? I know you are not allowed to compare animals with humans however, cruel and unuseal keeps coming to mind.

"It's made illegal by local laws,"

Then clearly it defines the barbarity of the localities where it is still legal.

Actually, simply being legal doesn't define the culture. The acceptance of the act is the defining act.

Cock-fighting and dog fighting are still, for the most part, practiced underground even in cultures where animal rights are hardly thought of. Simply because its such a heinous activity.

Civilization and animal cruelty are complete antitheses of each other.

The way we treat each other is of little issue.

Maybe the people who watch these horrible spectacles can be persuaded to watch Fresca and Bush Admirer beat eachother with giant bags of cheetos instead.

uh, that was pretty clever and biting there meyer.

"Scorpio, you are a buffoon. The left and right in Spain did not argue about carpet colors; they argued over whether Spain was to leave the Middle Ages, with its needless cruelties and violence, behind or attempt to give it new life under a "Christian dictator.""

Who cares what the Left and Right argued about in Spain, Meyer? That's not the point. The point is whether YOU, Meyer London, has a right to interfere with the internal culture of another nation just because you find something distasteful in their cultural practices.

I don't like bull fighting any more than the next person, but you have no right to kick in their doors and tell them how to change their culture. Wouldn't that make you a cultural 'fascist', Meyer? Wouldn't that make you a cultural 'Imperialist', Meyer?

Get over yourself.

I, however, have already been labeled a "fascist" and supporter of imperialism around here so I might as well make some use of it.

Therefore, I would definetely and with great joy go in and forcebly mandate that these Spaniards evolve.

Evolve or die.

The left would have won in Spain and bullfighting, as well as countless cruelties involving human beings, would have ended if the outside world had not intervened to aid the fascists, monarchists and other reactionaries. They did this either by enforcing a blockade that left the rightful, elected Spanish Government unable to properly defend itself, or by actively giving the right both munitions and troops (Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy). That was the real interference in Spanish internal affairs.

Incidentally, if you buy the dvd of Dr. Zhivago, which was filmed mostly in Spain, you will come across the amusing incident where actors and extras are told to sing the International (world anthem of socialism) at night. Nearby villagers poured out of their homes to celebrate, believing that Franco had been overthrown.

Spanish soldiers had been supplied by the Franco government to play the part of Bolsheviks in this scene, their officers carefully noted down the names of the soldiers who already knew the words of the International and didn't need a printed sheet.