Now this is a takings case. Last week saw the last bullfight in Barcelona, Spain. This week there is talk of a lawsuit by bullfighting companies who want compensation for the ban on killing bulls slowly in a ring for the enjoyment of thousands of fans of the blood sport.
Serafin Marin, a native of Barcelona, delivered the final death blow or estocada to the thrill of the crowd. Some paid 1,500 euros just to watch the bull killed. By the way, a leading bullfighter could charge up to half a million euros for each appearance. The bull gets . . . well, the bull just gets it.
While the ban goes into effect on January 1st, this is the end of the bull killing season.
Organizers are demanding millions in compensation over the ban and there is a plan for a class action. This would mean that any sport found harmful by the government would require compensation. That would be akin to dogfighters suing over the ban on that “sport.” I do not know the Spanish translation, but the court should dismiss the action as just . . . well . . . bull.
Source: Telegraph
Following.
Pete,
Amen.
i’m with woosty and ay on this one. no difference with dog or cock fighting.
next time i see a bow hunter in an arena taking shots at a deer then i’ll see the resemblance.
that’s why i don’t care for sport hunting tv shows.
and f**k ted nugent
The bull does not go into the arena “looking for a fight” as someone noted. It is tortured and debilitated even before it hits the ring, deprived of light for two days prior to the bullfight, kept in a cage or pen and prevented from laying down, its ears are stuffed with wet papers newspapers to diminish hearing, Vaseline inserted into its eyes to cloud it’s vision, a needle put into its genitals, irritating creams put on its legs and cotton stuffed up its nose to impede respiration and sometimes administered drugs to either speed up or slow down its heartbeat. Complete sensory deprivation and disorientation. It is defeated even before it hits the ring. Once let into the ring after two days of this treatment is aggressiveness all that surprising? The bull understandably comes out in a disoriented fury. The myth of the Honorable fight does not hold up. The back story of how the bulls are treated before the bullfight is rarely revealed. Despite having great respect for cultural diversity, the torture and killing of a helpless animals for entertainment purposes should have no place in a civilized world. Cultural identity aligned with the torture of helpless humans and animals is a negative not a positive.
Interestingly enough I do think for a finite period it is ok to compensate the industry as the bans take effect and the culture adapts, we can’t focus on and punish only those in the industry who did what the culture celebrated for so long,
Thank you Woosty! Such beautiful voices and my favorite aria. I also loved the first version of O Solo Mio they sing where they tease Pavorotti. Lovely.
“…. You haven’t walked through many cow pastures with even milk cattle bulls present, I take it? …”
Warning behavior in his own territory and a pitched fight to the death in a strange territory are quite different things.
But even if I (for the sake of the argument) accept your standpoint that bulls are bloodthirsty monsters who like to slay humans without provocation:
That would mean that the banderillas are a torture without a purpose. Which is IMHO actually an even stronger argument against it.
Bob,
Interesting question. I’d have to think as real estate that its drop in value would be marginal at best as it is easily convertible into a general use forum for public gatherings. I mean it’s basically already an amphitheater albeit one currently tasked to a dedicated purpose.
“I don’t propose animals have more rights, I propose humans have more responsibilities. We have the capacity to understand that our actions can cause pain, and because of that knowledge have an obligation to try and limit that pain.”
I agree with this. 🙂