The bullshit fights


Bullfighting, a tradition of animal cruelty.

Bullfighting is one of the cruelest things that is still imposed on innocent animals. These bulls are actually being humiliated and stabbed to death in front of an audience. Many bullfighters would like you to believe, that the bull actually prefers this way of dying, instead of going to a slaughterhouse, because dying in the fights would give them more honour. Well, if you ever witnessed a bullfight, you know that that is not true.


Blood comes out of his nose and his mouth. This animal is badly wounded.
No way out.
These murderes come to finish their job.
After all the torture, the animal falls down.


Horses are also victem.

It's not only the bull's that are abused during the fights, but also the horses get their share of pain. In spite of the mattresses they wear, they often get seriously hurt by the horns of the bull. Something the audience does not know, is that the vocal chords of the horses are being cut, to prevent them from screaming. See for yourself that horses are also vitem. (Warning, this pictures can be very shocking).

Also the so called Fiestas are extremely cruel. Bull's are being chased by hundreds of people through small, narrow streets, while they being hit with sticks, kicked, beaten and stabbed with knives. The poor animal only wants to get away from the ones that torture him, but the crowd won't let him go. Sometimes the bull is being shot by hondreds and hundreds of little paper arrow, with have a nail on the front site. De bull is covered with hundreds of little arrows, who stick in his skin. An awful site. Of course it is a 'big sport' to try and hit an eye. Another common thing to do is to put balls of pitch on his horn, and light them on fire. The animal panics and start to run around, while the hot pitch splashes around, giving him painful burning wounds. Another thing they call 'fun' is to force the bull into the water, dragging him back in by his tail if he tries to get out, until he drowns. Do they still survive, they are beaten or stabbed to death.


They take the ears of the bull as a trofee.
Hell starts allready before they go in to the arena.
Horses are victems also.
What is left over after the fights. Here are the heads of some bulls.


How are fighting bulls raised?

Right after it is born, the male calf is being taken away from their mothers. They start testing the animals to see if they have the guts to fight. The ones who show the most courage end up at the fights, while the less brave animals are being used in fiestas. Four years long the bulls are made more and more aggressive, so they will be ready for the day they have to fight. Before the fight starts, the animals are being weakened. They have various ways to do this: a day before the fight starts, they don't give them any food or water, instead of that they give hands full of salt, which of course weakens the bull a lot. They use sand bags to hit the bull's kidneys, which causes internal bleedings. Many times the horns are being cut. They put petroleum jelly in his eyes to blur vision, or drug the animals with various drugs. There are many more tricks they use to make sure that the animal inside of the ring is not that dangerous as it looks. Of course we have to make sure that the bullfighters come out safe. The public likes a lot of blood, but it must be of the bull and not of a human. Remember, bullfighting is big bussines, so we can't have any humans being hurt, can we??

In the 20 minutes that the actual fight takes place, the torture still continues. When the bull enters the ring, they start to chase him, and try to challenge him by waving a red rag. The bull is stabbed several times to weaken him as much as possible. Then the 'brave' picador, on his horse, will put a iron lance in the bulls neck muscles. He is using his full weight on the lance to make sure it goes in several inches. Next, the banderillas are being placed. These banderillas are colourful, wooden sticks, with a sharp barb at the end. They will be put in the neck and the back of the bull. When the poor animal is about to collapse, the matador comes with his sword to give him the final death blow, (the 'hero'). He is supposed to put his sword between the dorsal vertebra's, right into the hart. But lots of times the matador does not come any further than the lungs, so the bull drowns in his own blood. (As you can see, this is a 'very civilized sport', this bullfighting thing). Finally the spinal marrow nerves are being cut with a dagger. Now the dead bull can be dragged out of the arena. The matador can be proud, he just murdered another innocent animal. This will happen to six bulls every fight.


Movies and pictures.

  • If you want to see for yourself how cruel bullfighters are and how much the bull has to suffer, click here to see a small video of a bullfight. (Shocking pictures!! 2.43 Mb).
  • Two other small films about the cruelness of bullfighting. Movie 1 (542 kb) and movie 2 (565 kb).
  • Another small piece of film that shows the sponsors of the fights. (Watch the pepsi adds). Pepsi has stopt the sponsering. (This after a lot of worldwide protest). (1.9 Mb).
  • This piece of film shows that bullfighters have no respect for the bull at all. (488 kb).
    • Animal Frontline's online picture album about bullfighting. You can take a look at it here. (18 pictures).
  • Animal Frontline's online picture album about (not so good) bullfighters is here. (29 pictures).


What can you do to help?

  • Don't ever go to a fight, not even once. Also ask others not to go. The bullfight-industry depends for a large part on the money tourist bring in every year. They are being tricked inside by telling them that bullfighting is part of the culture. However poll's show that, for instance in Spain, the majority of the people are against the barbaric bullfights.
  • Also don't buy any bullfighting related souvenir's, because this money is also being used to keep the torture going.
  • Don't travel with travel agencies that make trips to bullfights. You can also write the headburo that you don't travel with them if they keep organizing these trips.
  • Don't go out in restaurants or other places that are promoting bullfighting.
  • Don't buy products from companies that are sponsoring bullfights.
  • Hang up posters, use bumper stickers, make other people aware of what is happening.
  • Help out your local Anti-Bullfighting group by becoming a volunteer, or with a donation.



This page is part of Animal Frontline and is updated for the last time on: 15-11-2002