What's Wrong with Bullfighting?

Each year tens of thousands of bulls are maimed, tortured and killed for entertainment in Spain, Portugal, France, Columbia, Mexico, Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador and the USA. Thousands of horses are also injured or killed each year in bullfights, as they are frequently used as a part of the bullfighting display.

In a typical bullfight, the animal is attacked by men on foot and on horseback with lances and harpoons. The matador forces the confused and exhausted bull to make a few charges before eventually attempting to kill it with a sword. If not killed, the animal is stabbed repeatedly until paralysed. When the bull finally collapses its spinal cord is cut, but the animal may still be conscious as its ears and tail are cut off and kept as a trophy.

Further cruelty takes place away from the gaze of the general public. Bulls are sometimes weakened and disorientated prior to a fight for example through drugging, or by having Vaseline smeared in their eyes to impair their vision. A bull’s horns may also be shaved before a fight, making them extremely sensitive to pain.

A bullfight is never a fair fight. The animals involved suffer immensely, and all in the name of human entertainment. The League campaigns for a complete ban on this cruel and outdated “sport.”