As one of the most iconic traditions of Spain, bullfighting catches a lot of attention from the public.
During a bullfight, a valiant matador faces a raging bull. The matador effortlessly dodges the bull’s attempts to maim and eventually lands the killing blow to finish the fight. This is no contest for the matador. The bull, following tradition, is severely weakened and injured before the fight. There is no chance for survival. The fight is a glorified public execution and falls into the realm of animal cruelty.
Bulls are generally passive animals. Knowing the slaughter of something so docile would not be as entertaining, the bulls are subjected to horrid pre-fight treatment. He is abused and starved two days prior. His hearing is distorted with ear plugs and vision limited with vaseline rubbed into his eyes. The bull is mentally annihilated and is in no condition to fight. If the abuse is too strenuous, the bull may pass out before the fight starts.
This archaic form of entertainment has recently been banned in Coahuila, Mexico, due to its inhumane practices. Many other countries have made movements to prohibit this abhorred sport, with assistance from the Humane Society International, which
identifies bullfighting as inhumane and attempts to prohibit its practice. The United Kingdom, Italy, Canada and Cuba are just a few countries who have banned the sport. Bullfighting remains only in Spain, France, Portugal, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru and Ecuador.
Every year, about 250,000 bulls are executed for audience entertainment. According to the Humane Society International’s website, “Many zoologists, veterinarians, and even ex-matadors agree that bulls are faced with an excessive amount of unnecessary discomfort in and out of the ring.”
Aficionados are reluctant to give up on bullfighting because of its cultural significance and their dedication to tradition. This logic is flawed — there are many examples of traditions that are now illegal. Segregated water fountains, Prima Nocta and sacrificing people to the gods were once traditions. Obviously ludicrous now, these traditions were banned due to their inhumane nature.
Bullfighting has various economic benefits keeping it alive. Earning up to $100,000, matadors are treated like celebrities. People pay for bullfighting school, seamstresses are employed to make expensive costumes and the arenas employ about 400 men and women each.
Bullfighting is a fairly profitable business. However, slavery also was fairly profitable. But slavery has been abolished. Bullfighting should face a similar end.
This monstrosity of a sport is kept alive by naivety and inconsideration. Tourists visit to engulf themselves in the native culture and witness the spectacle that is the epitome of Spanish tradition. They do not realize what they have funded until the ticket is purchased and the first bull slaughtered.
Public education is the key to stopping this terrible tradition. If tourists stopped funding the bullfights, the tradition would eventually fizzle out and die. The death of this tradition will promote the life of many innocent animals.
Kain Hingle is a 19-year-old psychology sophomore from Mandeville, Louisiana. You can reach him on Twitter @kain_hingle.