An end to bullfighting?

Althoguh Bullfighting has been around for centuries, it is a cruel and bloody “sport”. It is extremely popular in Spain and it has come as a (pleasant) shock to many around the world that one part of the country has banned the sport.

Animal rights campaigners were jubilant as Catalonia announced that Bullfighting would forever be banned in the region. However, the decision taken by the Catalan parliament has less to do with Animal Rights than it has to do with making a political statement.

The Catalan people have long been at loggerheads with the rest of Spain and have been seeking to distance themselves from the rest of the country. As a result of this they have banned Flamenco, speak their own language and have even gotten rid of the Spanish flag. They now are looking toward independence and becoming an independent state. The ban on Bullfighting is seen as just another move to thumb their noses at the Spanish government. This is reinforced by the fact that the sport was never really very popular or widespread in the region.

Whatever the motive, it still represents a victory for activists and a better life for the animals. The usual practice in this gruesome sport is to drug the bull or force it consume water and Epsom salts. This is done so that the animal is confused and has a disrupted sense of direction. All of this is done so that the Matadors get an advantage in disposing the bull in the bloody way that they do.