Running of the Bulls in Pamplona Is Cruel, Sadistic, Outdated and Should End
By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
Let's hope the Spanish government takes yesterday's tragic death of a runner in Pamplona, and the injuries of many others, as a signal that bull running and, indeed, bull fighting are outdated customs that need to go. From Bloomberg:
The victim, Daniel Jimeno Romero from Alcala de Henares, a town near Madrid, was wounded in the neck and chest, the regional government of Navarra said in a statement on its Web site. Five of the 11 injured were released from the hospital. The others include a 61-year-old American man in intensive care.
PETA's UK affiliate explains what happens to the bulls after they are run through Pamplona's streets:
- The magnificent animals who slip and slide on the streets of Pamplona during the Running of the Bulls are later violently killed—all in the name of "tradition." Torturing and killing a defenceless animal should not be celebrated as tradition. People have always tried to use tradition to justify horrible things, such as child labour and slavery. But tradition doesn't make something right.
- Bullfighting is a cruel blood sport that should have been relegated to the history books a long time ago. No matter what its history is, bullfighting consists of the torture, mutilation and slaughter of animals for entertainment.
I know PETA's U.S. affiliate has engaged in some controversial methods of garnering publicity (pie-throwing and the like) for animal abuse. But in this case, PETA-UK is absolutely right. Will the Spanish government listen? Of course not. As long as officials make more money than they lose (I hope the Romero family gets itself a good lawyer) on sadistic treatment of animals, the running and the fighting will continue.
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Reader Comments
Running of the Bulls
Maybe if more people were killed during the running of the bulls (I wish all the spectators killed) they would stop this barbaric, horrific display. This is a way to show their macho ism? These men should show how to be men by fighting for the animals right to die in a humane fashion. For the person that said this is Spain's issue, no, this is a world issue. I will never EVER visit such a backward, barbaric country. To say this is an old tradition is the same as saying, Spain has not come through the dark ages. Bulls are such a beautiful important creature. Without them, we would have no cows. God put them on earth to procreate so that we can have food on our table. Not to watch something so dark, and sinister. What the heck kind of people could get off on seeing this?
the method of killing is trivial?
Are you saying there is no difference between these two:
1. To be killed instantly, with a minimum of pain and fear.
2. To be tortured to death, slowly and with as much pain and terror and humiliation as possible.
Surely you do not believe that these are the same things.
I don't know much about what bulls experience, and I doubt that you do. The do feel pain, fear, and anger, though, just like you and me.
I don't know whether people should eat meat. Lots of animals do, and it may be a perfectly natural thing for people to do.
But what earthly reason is there to torture animals to death? Bulls in Spain, chickens in Ecuador, dogs in the United States.
People are, for the most part, stepping out of the Stone Age. We try to stop doing stupid, vicious, cruel things that we did before. Fox hunting has been outlawed in the UK -- even though it was a tradition.
If you are sitting in a cesspool, stand up and get out of it. Don't explain why you are allowed to stay in the cesspool.
reality of nature
Humans clearly have more efficient ways of killing an animal, but in nature, animals like these are torn apart by their predators in worse ways. I really don't find the level of "cruelty" to be much worse in the method used by bullfighters. Nature is far worse.
Anyway, this is Spain's issue. This is not a human rights issue where the US should voice concern, but a moral issue involving that country and it's laws.
I personally eat meat and wear leather. If one truly feels that bulls have a distinct ego and can experience the world and it's life to the full capacity that we can, and that life and death has meaning to the animal, then the method of killing is trivial. The proper stance would be not to kill animals at all.
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