Victory for spanish bulls in the offing
Nov 23, 2006
Anti-bullfighting campaigners the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) and Asociación Defensa Derechos Animal (ADDA), a WSPA member society, are lobbying politicians in Barcelona this week.
Today (Thursday 23rd November), at the first session of the new Catalonian parliament, they hope that a draft anti bullfighting bill will become the first piece of legislation that the new parliament tackles.
Since Barcelona declared itself an anti-bullfighting city in 2004, 38 other towns and villages in the region have followed suit. According to a poll by TNS Demoscopia in November 2004, 82% of Catalonians think bullfighting is cruel and unnecessary.
“Having proved itself the most progressive region in Spain for animal welfare, our challenge to Catalonia is to build on this success by banning bullfighting in the only two towns which still hold them, Barcelona and Tarragona,” said Carmen Mendez, President of ADDA.
Leah Garcés, WSPA’s Director of Campaigns, added: “The world is watching and waiting for Catalonia to inspire us with a brave act for animals. It is now time for the province to do the inevitable: ban bullfighting.”
Despite widespread opposition to the practice, some six bulls are killed every Sunday in Barcelona from March to September.
Most bullfights last for about 15 minutes, with the bull taunted and stabbed by a variety of spears, barbed spikes and daggers designed to inflict intense pain and blood loss.
The Matador finally kills the exhausted and dying bull. Many bulls die drowning in their own blood because at times the Matador pierces their lungs instead of the heart.
Afterwards, a short dagger, or ‘puntilla’, is used to sever its spinal cord at the neck before the animal is dragged out of the arena, sometimes still alive.
A variety of cruel practices can sometimes be used to weaken the bull before it even gets into the arena. Many bulls have their horns filed down; this prevents them from being able to judge distances properly.
Filing the horns is like grinding someone’s teeth away without anaesthetic. In addition, bulls are often beaten or drugged to keep them under control.
WSPA and ADDA hope by holding this protest, it will lead to the government debating, and ultimately voting on the proposed bill to ban bullfighting as a matter of priority.