By Nick Engelfried
The stands in a giant arena are filled with eager spectators, waiting in suspense. In the center stands a man with a sharp lance and a colorful cape, facing an angry bull with lethally sharp horns. Suddenly the bull charges at the man–or matador–who skillfully steps aside at just the right moment.

The iconic image described above has been celebrated and romanticized for centuries at bullfighting events, where matadors pit their skill against an enraged animal. In countries like Spain and Mexico, bullfighting has long been considered to be a deeply important cultural practice. The tradition also has a worldwide audience of admirers influenced by fictional portrayals of events like the “corrido de toros,” or “running of the bulls” in Spain. Yet, what most of these accounts ignore or gloss over is that bullfighting is a sport which celebrates the slaughter of animals who die cruel and painful deaths.

While matadors participate willingly in bullfights, the animals in question do not. The bulls are forced and goaded, terrified, into an arena where they are provoked into attacking the cape-wielding matador. And, while much about the course of the bullfight may be uncertain, one thing is all but guaranteed: it will end with the bull’s grisly death. In most cases, the bull is first pierced with a wooden lance that may cause agonizing pain, before being stabbed to death with a sword. Often, the sword blow does not kill the animal right away, and the bull suffers terribly until he finally succumbs.

Fortunately, growing numbers of people around the world–including in countries where bullfighting has long been a celebrated tradition–are recognizing the cruelty of this sport. In Spain, where the practice is more deeply rooted than perhaps anywhere else, the number of bullfight events declined by almost 50 percent between 2009 and 2019. Public opinion polls show those who still support bullfighting in Spain are now in a minority. Still, the Humane Society International estimates that 180,000 bulls around the world continue to die in the name of this tradition every year.

Why has it been so difficult to bring a definitive end to bullfighting? When discussing the cultural roots of the practice in Spain, Mexico, and throughout much of Central and South America–as well as Portugal and France–it is important to keep in mind that traditions celebrating cruelty are not unique to Spanish or Portuguese-speaking cultures. Most countries, including the United States, have deeply held traditions that inflict intense suffering on animals. In fact, the glorification of rodeos and “cowboy culture” in the U.S. is in many ways analogous to the celebration of bullfighting in Spain and Latin America. That said, few celebrations involving live animals have persisted for as long or been as deeply revered around the world as bullfighting.

In Spain, bullfighting has been a popular practice at least since Medieval times, while the modern version of the practice involving a sword and red cape originated in the early 1700s. At the time, Spain controlled one of the most powerful empires in the world, with colonies throughout what we now call the Americas. In many of these places, bullfighting celebrations blended with local tradition and became part of the culture. Yet, bullfighting has long fascinated people from around the world, including in countries like the United States where fights modeled on the Spanish tradition has never been commonly practiced.

Part of this appeal to the wider world comes from romanticized portrayals of bullfighting in famous works of fiction, such as Ernest Hemmingway’s 1926 novel, The Sun Also Rises, which describes the running of the bulls in Spain. Thanks to Hemmingway’s skill as a writer, The Sun Also Rises became an American classic. Unfortunately, whatever else we may think of the novel, it undeniably also contributed to making bullfighting popular far outside of Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries.

The good news is it is possible to maintain and celebrate cultural traditions–including those associated with bullfighting–without slaughtering innocent animals. This is shown by the growing popularity of an alternative to the classic bullfight ending in the animal’s death. During a rectadores event, matadors face charging bulls and skillfully dodge or leap over them, without harming or causing physical pain to the animals. Animal advocates may debate whether rectadores are truly cruelty-free events. However, they would certainly appear to be much more humane than the classic, lethal version of bullfighting.

The declining popularity of bullfighting and the growing popularity of more humane alternatives shows how a growing awareness of animal sentience can shift cultural practices, even when it comes to a tradition as deeply celebrated as this one. In many countries, this cultural shift has already been translated into policy; in fact, bullfighting is now banned in many parts of Latin America, including Colombia, Argentina, and Cuba.

Several Spanish cities and Mexican states also now prohibit bullfighting–remarkable victories in two countries where the practice has historically been very widely celebrated. This year, the Spanish government announced it will stop giving out an annual National Bullfighting Award in deference to changing public values. It would appear that bullfights which involve killing animals are on their way to becoming a thing of the past. However, continued public education campaigns about the cruelty of the tradition are needed to ensure it continues its decline. Animal lovers can help by continuing to spread the word about the suffering it inflicts on animals, while being respectful of different cultures’ traditions.

Of course, people who live in countries where bullfighting is still practiced can play an especially important role by urging their policymakers to act. If you are a tourist visiting a bullfighting country, you can do your part by making sure not to participate in events where the tradition is still practiced. Together, we can work toward a world where no animal is forced to suffer and die in an arena for the entertainment of people.

Photo credit: MarcusObal

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Nick Engelfried Writes About Animals, the Environment, and Conservation for the ForceChange network