Stand Up To Stop Bullfighting

Have you ever wanted to see a raging bull attack an amazingly brave man? To many this seems like the ultimate showdown. Most do not realize the shocking gory until it is too late. Bullfighting is a sport/tradition that takes place in many Latin American country, including mine, Peru. It is a tradition that was brought to us by the Spanish,who initially conquered Latin America.  The sport is well known, and held in almost every big even in Peru, which is a reason I chose to research this. Spending most of my life in Peru, I have seen my good amount of bullfights, and I never thought of the unethical viewpoint, until now. Hearing stories about animal abuse brought me to this, I could remember sitting at enormous stadiums having great times with my family, but also remembered the bull being tortured, and finally killed. When I was small I only looked at it as a way that families bonded. Now I can look at it from a different perspective, but having been on the inside will help me look at both the ethical and non ethical reasons for bullfighting.

In Peru, like any other country, there are events that are for the wealthier people. In this case it is bullfighting. There are many local, hometown bullfights, but when it comes to the big leagues not just anyone can go. People plan years ahead to be able to go to one of these posh events. Looking at the high class side of bullfighting, it is very well known for celebrities to go to large events, and going to one gives a person a higher status. But this isn’t the only side of bullfighting. In Peru, there are many charge-free events, where anyone can go and spend time together. I have gone to both, and they are both a great, but while the higher charged events are classy, they are too uptight, and in a free of charge bullfight everyone is laughing, and yelling, it is a great way to spend time with family or friends. Bullfighting brings people together, and that is the main reason why it is so popular in many countries.

Every year, approximately 250 000 bulls are killed, because of bullfighting. These bulls never had a chance of living, they where bred to be killed, and that was their destiny all along. Before a fight, a bull is dosed with drugs, that make him less aware, and as if that isn’t enough, the bull is also stabbed with swords by the amateur matadors, the spanish word for killers, before being released to the final matador, who acts as if he is part of a close battle, by waving his cape, and finishing the bull off by killing him. Sometimes the matador cuts off the bulls ears, and parts of the bulls nose, to show how dominant and brave he had been, while the bull never had a chance in the first place. Finally, the bull is taken to a butcher at the stadium, sometimes still half alive and hardly holding on to live, he is then butchered, and his meat is sold outside the stadium at the after-party of the event. The bulls cannot fight back, but fortunately there are people who do.

In many countries, including Peru, many people are standing outside the ticket sales for big events, as well as the event itself, and protesting against bullfighting, revealing its sinister secrets. Many organizations are standing up against bullfighting, and people are beginning to spread the word. The gruesome pictures of the bulls on the web are shocking people over seas, and starting protests against the tradition all over the world.  To put the frosting on the cake, government officials in Spain are voting soon to see if the will ban bullfighting all together. If this happens it will be a major breakthrough, many more people will hear about the issue, and many other governments will make it illegal as well.

After all this research it is very clear that bullfighting is unethical. There are many other ways that families can spend time, and a higher status could be spared if it meant saving the life of an innocent bull. Fighting as a sport is one thing, but killing for the sake of money and entertainment is completely unethical. This research helped me learn that first impressions can be wrong. The right information doesn’t always come up first, so to find what is right effort needs to be put in. After this research I have changed all of my views on bullfighting, I am now completely against it, and will not go to one again. Stand up to stop Bullfighting and sign this petition!