Raging Bull Gores Local Man to Death During Controversial Bull Festival in Spain

A bull attack led to the death of a Spanish man during a bull festival in eastern Spain, according to reports. The raging bull charged and gored the victim, who died eventually after succumbing to his wounds.

Another participant of the event sustained injuries during the incident. While the said festival has been a tradition in the European country, it has only resumed in July 2022 following the nationwide COVID-19 lockdowns between 2020 and 2021.

In previous years, bull attacks during bull festivals, including bullfighting, have been recorded not only in Spain but also in Portugal, France, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, and Venezuela.

Although the activity has been conducted legally, various animal rights activists and groups in the past have condemned this tradition.

Bull Attack Kills Spanish Man

A bull called Cocinero gored the local man, who was not named, during a bull running festival in the town of Pobla de Farnals in Spain's Valencia region on Saturday, September 23.

Authorities confirmed the man was taken to a hospital but died later. Meanwhile, the second victim, who was also a Spanish man, was gored in both legs by Cocinero the bull and was in a stable condition in the hospital, the authorities added.

Local officials reportedly specified the 61-year-old man who died from the raging bull underwent emergency surgery but died on Sunday, September 24. His 61-year-old friend was with him as other people from multiple cities and towns across the country took part in the bull festival.

Spanish Bull Festival

Deaths and injuries from Spanish bull festivals, including bull-running activities, are not rare. In fact, the centuries-old tradition is held every year, wherein bulls are released on the streets with people running ahead of them.

However, there are reported casualties in some of these events, mainly due to being gored by sharp bull horns and getting stomped by wild animals.

This summer, at least 10 people were killed during bull-running festivals in Spain, including seven deaths in the Valencia region. Other fatalities were recorded in the regions of Castilla y Leon, Madrid, and Navarra. In Valencia alone, the death toll from bull-running events has increased to more than 30 since 2015.

Animal Rights Movement

As mentioned earlier, the bull-running festival, also called the San Fermin festival, has been condemned by activists and groups. Calls have been made to stop the activities.

One of the advocacies of this movement against the Spanish bull festival is that it denounces the killings of bulls within hours after the start of the event, according to PETA. The organization also emphasizes that the charging animals often fall or crash their head into walls while at full speed.

In July 2023, pro-animal rights activists from PETA and AnimaNaturalis organizations demonstrated against bull-running and bullfighting events in Pamplona, Spain, ahead of the event of the San Fermin festivities.