Animal lovers in the country have mobilized to prevent the traditional festival held by attaching fireballs to the horns of bulls in the historical town of Medinaceli in Spain.
Animal rights activists pressed the button to ban the centuries-old festival in the medieval town of Medinaceli on the grounds that it “constitutes serious abuse of animals.”
The Pro-Animal Party Against the Mistreatment of Mortars (PACMA) has applied to the court to ban this festival.
Abuse of the bull
During the festival, the bull with two fireballs tied to its horns is forced to run through the streets.
Even if it does not die or burn due to the fire, the animal is under great stress because it cannot extinguish the flame on it. This state of the bull is watched with great enthusiasm by the audience.
The unfortunate bull, which was chosen before the event, which lasted about 20 minutes, was tied to a wooden pole, and tar balls placed on his horns were burned. Meanwhile, mud is rubbed on the face and back of the bull to protect it from fire.
After these preparations, the bull is left in the specially prepared square in the center of the town surrounded by barriers and covered with fine sand.
In this year’s event, the death of the bull as a result of an unexpected development led to an increase in the reaction of animal lovers.
The bull with fireballs tied around his neck perished as the organizers of the event released another neutered bull to get the bull out of the square and the two animals collided.
Animal lovers react
PACMA, which filed a criminal complaint against the organizers of the “Toro Jubilo” festival, which is usually held in the second week of November, expressed its reaction on its social media account, saying, “Even though we are not in the Stone Age, this ridiculous tradition continues to be celebrated.”
Apart from PACMA, other animal lovers’ associations support the banning of this festival.
Jaime Posada, director of the association Anima Naturalis, told AFP that they support banning this festival because the bulls are mistreated.
Posada criticized this event, which was done in the name of tradition, stating that the bull was kept in a tight cage for hours before being dragged into the square.
Attendees at the event complained that AFP avoided answering questions, while PACMA management was hindering attempts to film the event to gather evidence. Spanish animal lovers also criticize the local government of the town of Castilla and the city of Leon, to which it is affiliated, for giving the festival a special cultural status.
Known for its bullfights, Spain is at the top of the list for animal abuse in Europe.
According to animal rights activists, more than 60,000 animals in the country are abused each year during religious festivals, some of which date back to the Middle Ages.