The problem
The celebrations with bulls are a form of cruelty and violence
In the popular festivals of the towns of Spain, the bulls are immobilized, pulled with ropes, attacked, forced to run, thrown into the sea and light torches on their horns. Animals suffer falls, blows, intense suffering, and sometimes death.
The cruelest form of celebration is when balls impregnated with a flammable substance are placed in their horns and lit to see them run desperately.
Campaign
Ban cruel traditions!
We are carrying out the largest and most in-depth investigation of the more than 18,000 cruel events with animals that take place in Spain year after year, and which unfortunately are increasing. We want to bring to light the mistreatment that thousands of peoples hide in their festivities and traditions.
The ranches are endangering the future of bullfights, which have less and less support, and they see a growing business in popular festivities. We want to put an end to the cruel fiestas. Can you help us?
Investigation
How much public money is given to cruel traditions?
We present our research that shows for the first time the total number of towns that celebrate cruel festivals with bulls, how much public money is given to the organization of these events and the description of all the bullfighting modalities to which tens of thousands of animals are subjected each year.
Public money that is allocated in each
Autonomous Community to celebrations with bulls (2019)
Town that allocates the most public money to events with bulls:
185,787.55€
according to your own official budgets
Azuqueca de Henares
Guadalajara
Town that allocates the most public money per capita to events with bulls:
239.52€
for each of its 54 inhabitants
Fuentelviejo
Guadalajara
Town that holds the most events with bulls:
117
events that use a least 216 bulls
Xàbia
Alicante
Province with the highest number of events with bulls:
4.398
events that use 6,970 bulls
Castellón
Com. Valenciana
Public money that is allocated in each
province of Spain to celebrations with bulls (2019)
Rope bulls
A bull is called a roped bull to the modality of popular bullfighting celebration consisting of the release in a locality of a cow with one or more ropes tied to its head to control its movements and attacks. The rope bull is probably the most atavistic spectacle and also the most distressing for the animal, being the one that limits its movements the most and for the longest time.
Fire bulls
Nearly 2,500 bulls are packed with fire every year in a large number of Spanish cities, all with the approval and subsidies of town halls, councils and regional governments, despite the fact that this practice entails intense suffering for the bull, a victim of exhaustion, blows, falls, as well as disorientation, fear and anguish.
Bulls in the sea
It is a modality that takes place in a square open to the sea located in the port or the beach of the town where it is held. There it is about the bull chasing the fans, who avoid their attacks by jumping into the sea and provoking the animal until it also falls into the water.
Running of the bulls
The release of bulls or running of the bulls are maintained as a custom in practically the entire territory and are common in patron saint festivities in most regions. It consists of a group of people running in front of a herd of 6 to 10 bulls, cows, steers or heifers.
Bullring bulls
It is about loose bulls in a ring, where they are persecuted, harassed and mocked by young men from the town.
Inform us of any cruel festival that takes place in your town or of which you are aware: bloodfiestas@animanaturalis.org
Historic suspension of the Toro Jubilo in Medinaceli marks a milestone in animal protection
04 diciembre 2024
The celebration of Medinaceli's Toro Jubilo, scheduled for November 16, has been suspended by the Administrative Litigation Court of Soria, ruling that tradition does not justify animal suffering. The measure, in response to an appeal by PACMA, underscores the legal protection of animals as sentient beings and highlights the progress of Spanish legislation on animal welfare.
Sokamuturra: A tradition questioned for animal suffering
09 octubre 2024
Although Sokamuturra remains a traditional event in various towns across the Basque Country, animal rights advocates denounce the suffering inflicted on the bulls during these spectacles. Is it time to rethink this custom?
Heated debate at the Dénia City Council over the continuation of bous a la mar
27 septiembre 2024
The recent debate in Dénia about bous a la mar rekindles the controversy between those defending bullfighting traditions and those fighting for animal rights. Despite the proposed modifications, the root of the conflict remains the exploitation and suffering of the bulls in these events.
Judicial ruling puts the future of Toro Jubilo in Medinaceli in jeopardy
04 septiembre 2024
In a landmark decision in the fight against animal cruelty in Spain, the Administrative Litigation Court No. 1 of Soria has declared illegal the municipal ordinance that allowed the celebration of the Toro Jubilo in Medinaceli, Soria. This ordinance, dating back to 1999 and modified in 2000 and 2015, has been annulled following a lawsuit filed by the Animalist Party with the Environment (PACMA) in November 2023, in a process that could spell the end of one of the last "embolado" bull events in Castilla y León.
We denounce the serious lack of safety and the presence of minors at the dangerous running of the bulls at El Pilón in Falces
14 agosto 2024
AnimaNaturalis and CAS International denounce the dangerous incidents that occurred during the second running of the bulls at El Pilón in Falces, Navarra. This event, held on the morning of Monday, August 12, once again highlighted the inherent risks for both animals and participants, as well as spectators, including minors whose presence was documented by the organization in blatant violation of safety regulations.
The streets of Godelleta are stained with blood during their bullfighting fiestas
08 julio 2024
This past Sunday, July 7, Godelleta, a small municipality in the Valencian Community, was the scene of a tragic incident during one of its traditional bullfighting festivals. At 9 a.m., a bull with a rope tied to its horns was released to run through the streets of the town. At one point during the run, the young men pulled on the rope just as the bull began to run, causing the animal to slip and break a horn.