When you're partying
on the streets of Pamplona,
get ready for an intense
nine day celebration.
But offend this guest of honor,
and you may be the one seeing red.
It's time to grab life by the horns.
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With a temperament
often aggravated by humans,
or mating season,
our perception of bulls
is mostly shrouded in myth.
But as Benjamin Miller
found out in 2015,
the power behind
this beast is all too real.
Suffering several horrific wounds,
including a 40 cm (15.7 in) gash,
this tourist barely escaped with his life.
But if you're at a fiesta
with this party crasher,
Bred to be lean and muscular,
the image of the Spanish Fighting Bull
remains iconic
in this gory spectator sport.
Chosen for their aggression
and brute strength,
these bovines are isolated,
then harrarrased for the amusement
of the public.
While not all bulls
are subject to this treatment,
if you're facing down
this angry beast,
follow these steps
and you might escape their wrath.
Reaching speeds
up to 56 km/h (35 mph),
not even gold medalist Usain Bolt
stands a chance outrunning this beast.
With this insane speed,
and the ability
to change direction quickly,
your best bet for escaping
a bull is to run in a zigzag.
Sidestep to redirect its momentum
and avoid those incoming horns.
Used mostly for defense,
these horns can reach record lengths
over 3 m (10ft)
and can impale you in an instant.
If you're in a fenced in area,
stick to the perimeter
and get ready to climb over
when the charge comes.
Lose sight,
and this stalking brute
could take advantage of your fear
and sneak up on you.
A bull has a flight zone of 6 m (20 ft),
so if you clear this distance
it might give up on the chase.
If a bull haven't charged yet,
and you need to escape,
keep cool,
and walk backwards.
Although cattle posses panoramic vision
in excess of 300 degrees,
their eyesight isn't focused, or clear.
When a matador teases a bull
by waving his cape,
it's not the color
that gets the bull's attention.
And this color blind animal
responds to the threat by attacking.
Get in the blind spot
behind its neck,
out of its field of vision,
and keep your movements small.
When a bull charges,
your bare hands won't do much.
Weighing from
500 to 700 kg (1,100-1,600 lb),
the Spanish Fighting Bull
is way out of your weight class.
If you want to stand a chance,
grab a sturdy object
that won't break on impact,
like an axe handle or a long pipe.
Yell loudly,
as you aim for the muzzle
or the nose.
Strike hard and strike fast.
Prove you won't go down
without a fight,
and the bull may break off the attack.
Unlike an elephant,
a bull doesn't waste time
with a mock charge.
If it wants to charge you, it will.
When a bull is present,
don't interact with cows
and young calves,
especially during mating season.
Taunting the bull
and interacting with cows
could be interpreted as a challenge
to its rank in the herd.
So have your head lowered,
and avoid eye contact.
If the bull stares back,
it will start shaking aggressively.
It'll also lower its head
and kick up dirt as it growls.
Keep your eyes to yourself,
and don't let your pride
invite a challenge you can't win.
Before the charge begins,
a bull will size you up
like your significant other's ex at a bar.
Showing fear could incite
the bull to charge.
Playing dead won't help you either.
You'll actually be seen as
more of an annoyance
that needs to be removed.
If you're living
on a farm with cattle,
start the bull's training
at a young age,
and never play butting games
with calves.
When a bull calf turns two years old,
it challenges the top bull in the herd.
While the game
might seem cute now,
you're teaching this future behemoth
a deadly pastime.
But if you're on a farm
with no other bulls around,
it'll consider the human
leading the cattle
as the dominant male.
In Ireland,
over 50 % of livestock deaths
are due to bulls.
So avoid this confrontation now,
before it's ready to exert dominance
over you to take control of the herd.
When you want to show affection,
pet a bull calf under its chin,
its shoulder, or on its rear,
but never its forehead.
And never let your small child
around a bull at any time.
So you got out of the pen alive,
and you're ready
to put some miles
between you and this beast.
But you took that corner
a little too fast,
and now your car
is dangling over
the side of a mountain.
How are you going to survive
a car hanging off a cliff?
Don't look down.
We have the answer right here,
on the next How to Survive.