There are many facts about bullfighting that will shock you.
From the fascinating history of bullfighting,
through the the ethical implications of this ‘sport’,
bullfighting is certainly an interesting thing to research.
Bullfighting has been a prominent activity in tourism throughout history.
But why has it historically been so popular?
Should we partake in bullfighting in the 21st century?
And if we are considering supporting this industry,
what facts about bullfighting do we need to know? All is revealed in this video.
The Spanish Fighting Bull (toro de lidia) is an Iberian heterogeneous cattle population.
It is exclusively bred free-range on extensive estates in Spain, Portugal, France
and Latin American countries where bull fighting is organized.
Fighting bulls are selected primarily for a certain combination of aggression,
energy, strength, and stamina.
The fighting bull is characterized by its aggressive behavior,
especially when solitary or unable to flee.
Many are colored black or dark brown, but other colorations are normal.
They reach maturity slower than meat breeds as they were not selected to be heavy,
having instead a well-muscled "athletic" look,
with a prominent morrillo, a complex of muscles over the shoulder and neck
which gives the bull its distinctive profile and strength with its horns.
The horns are longer than in most other breeds and are present in both males and females.
Mature bulls weigh from 408 to 700 kg (900 to 1,543 lb).
An "indultado" bull's lifespan can be 20 to 25 years.
The Spanish Fighting Bull is considered a symbol of Spain.
As the name suggests, the Spanish Fighting Bull is raised primarily for fighting purpose
in some countries where bull fighting is organized.
Fighting bull’s beef is also considered as the most ecological meat in the world.
The Spanish Fighting Bull is bred free-range on wide ranging ranches in Spain
What makes the fighting bull special?
First of all, it is the only (non-feral) cattle breed that was not selected for meat or milk
production, but for agility and feistiness.
It is well-known that they range freely all the year round
and the fact that bulls that win fights with other bulls are chosen as breeding bulls
a kind of man-made natural selection
helped to retain primitive traits that are not apparent in many other breeds.
Fanciers of the breed claim it is the most aurochs-like cattle around today (auroch is now extinct).
It is true that the proportions are variable,
some bulls are longish while others have a short trunk like in the aurochs.
The waist is usually very slender (though not in all individuals), similar to wild bovines of similar.
Most Lidia bulls that we see are subadult,
over 4 years old, bulls get continuously more massive after their 6 year.
Nevertheless, Lidia is still the most athletic cattle breed.
The legs in fighting cattle tend to be a little shorter than in the aurochs,
but some examples have just perfect proportions.
Lidia is one of the few large-headed cattle breeds
and many have a really elongated skull shape.
The frontals are long, the nasals are long, and the eye sockets are prominent.
The head profile is either straight or more or less concave.
Also Lidia has prominent curly hair between the horns,
giving them the fierce appearance that is described for the aurochs.
The horns usually are medium-sized and nearly always direct forwards.
The horn shape does either roughly or very closely resemble that of the aurochs,
depending on the individual.
Another “problem” concerning the phenotype of Lidia is their small size.
Spanish fighting bulls are bred for being small so that they are easier to fight with,
and their current shoulder height varies from 110 to 140 cm.
Ecology
Lidia is a very hardy breed that is used to poor foliage,
lives freely all the year round and is used to all kinds of weather and so on.
Like virtually all primitive Iberian cattle.
But what is interesting is what told by the ABU breeders:
the only cattle that never seized the supplementary food
in the Lippeaue during winter were Lidia cows.
Predation
Lidia is one of the very,
very few domestic cattle that are known to defend themselves successfully from
no, not just wolves – big cats.
Fighting bulls defeated even lions in arena fights of the past,
which is very impressing.
Spain has bullfighting schools for children
There are 15 bullfighting schools in Spain,
which start teaching wannabe matadors at as young as 14 years old.
The trainee bullfighters begin practicing on fake bulls,
and then graduate to bull calves before they are allowed anywhere near the adult males.
In 2015, the Spanish conservative government
which is a strong supporter of bullfighting
announced that it plans to make courses in bullfighting available
as optional subjects for state school pupils.
Not all bulls are killed in the ring
Some bulls, if they have displayed particularly brave and exemplary behavior in the ring,
can be indultado, or pardoned.
The crowd uses white handkerchiefs to persuade the president of the bullring
to let the bull live,
and in rare circumstances the bull is allowed to return to the ranch where it was raised
and live out the rest of its natural days in peace.
Bullfighter deaths are on the rise
Victor Barrio, aged 29,
became the first matador to be killed in the bullring in Spain in over 30 years.
In June 2017, another Spanish bullfighter was killed in the ring after tripping on his cape.
Iván Fandiño became the second bullfighter to die in less than 12 months during
a bullfight in France.
According to experts, over 500 bullfighters have been killed in the ring since 1700.
But while in modern times bullfighter deaths have been relatively uncommon, injuries are not,
with gorings a fairly regular occurrence.
The bulls are specifically bred for bullfighting
The Spanish fighting bull, also known as the Toro Bravo.
Some experts have traced the origins of the bull to the Iberian bulls
used in Roman arena games.
The bulls have been specially bred for their aggressiveness,
and, unlike domestic bulls, will always charge at a target.
Bullfighting bars are a thing
Bullfighting fans congregate in bars dedicated to the practice to watch the latest bullfights,
or even replays of old classics.
The bars, such as La Torre del Oro on Madrid’s Plaza Mayor,
are often decorated with bull heads,
photos of famous bullfights and matador’s suits of lights.
They are a good place to visit to get an insight into the practice and meet some true aficionados.
Bullfighting is not really considered a sport in Spain
While bullfighting is considered a sport to many, the Spanish see it as a cultural event.
It is a huge part of Spanish history.
They do not see it as competitive; rather, highly ritualistic.
It is for this reason that the bull is sacrificed with a sword to the heart
rather than any other body part.
There are, of course, rules and guidelines as well as various tactics
and techniques when it comes to bullfighting,
but the Spaniards still don’t see it is as a sport like football or tennis.
There are many reasons that bullfighting in Spain is viewed as being unethical
from the way that the bulls are trained
to the way that many are sadly killed during and after the fights.
Such activities would not occur in many parts of the world in the modern day,
yet they continue in Spain.
Why the cloth is red?
The cloth is not red because bulls react particularly strongly to the colour red
they are actually colour blind.
In fact, cows are not excited by any color,
but by the movement of objects that make them angry.
Therefore, the fact that bulls chase people is due to their movement, not color.
The cloth was originally red to hide the blood from the audience,
and is still red to this day in the interest of preserving tradition
and provide a suitable light-dark contrast against the arena floor.
Bullfighting is an important part of Spanish tourism
Bullfighting in Spain plays a significant, multifaceted,
and controversial role in the country’s tourism industry.
The bull is a symbol of Spain and a landmark of its countryside.
It has played an important role throughout the history of tourism in the country.
Bullfighting in Spain is big business.
Throughout the years,
bullfighting in Spain has generated millions of Pounds for the Spanish economy.
Due to demand, this expanded and increased in popularity over the years.
Every year, approximately 35,000 bulls are tormented and killed in bullfights in Spain alone.
Although many bullfight attendees are American tourists,
90 percent of these tourists never return to another fight
after witnessing the relentless cruelty that takes place in the ring.
Spanish and Mexican bullfight advertisers lure American tourists with mystique.
hey claim the fight is festive, artistic, and a fair competition between skill and force.
What they do not reveal is that the bull never has a chance to defend himself, much less survive.
Many prominent former bullfighters report that the bull is intentionally debilitated
with tranquilizers and laxatives,
beatings to the kidneys, petroleum jelly rubbed into their eyes to blur vision,
heavy weights hung around their neck for weeks before the fight,
and confinement in darkness for hours before being released into the bright arena.
Ok so we have seen the truths as well as the negative side of this bullfighting industry,
I personally do not support bullfighting,
it is not much different from the buffalo stabbing festival in my country (Vietnam).
In my opinion, even if this is a traditional custom, it should be abolished.
Thank you for watching, see you in the next animal clips.