While not prohibiting bullfighting outright, the regional parliament of the Spanish archipelago voted an animal protection law banning the use of “sharp implements that can injure and/or kill the bull” in the ring, effectively outlawing the slaughter of the animal. The law also limits to three the number of animals that bullfighters can spar with, for a maximum duration of ten minutes per bull. It also forces bullfighters and animals to take anti-doping tests before and after the corrida, and only allows people aged 18 and above to watch. The Balearic Islands are not the only region to have banned or restricted bullfighting as an increasing number of Spaniards discard it as a cruel event. But the measures have always come up against stiff resistance from supporters who see the tradition as an integral part of Spanish culture. Last October, Spain’s Constitutional Court cancelled a bullfighting ban in the northeastern region of Catalonia.
Bull fighting
Spain’s Balearic Islands yesterday banned the killing of bulls in corridas in a decision feted by animal rights activists but decried by supporters of the controversial, centuries-old tradition.
While not prohibiting bullfighting outright, the regional parliament of the Spanish archipelago voted an animal protection law banning the use of “sharp implements that can injure and/or kill the bull” in the ring, effectively outlawing the slaughter of the animal. The law also limits to three the number of animals that bullfighters can spar with, for a maximum duration of ten minutes per bull. It also forces bullfighters and animals to take anti-doping tests before and after the corrida, and only allows people aged 18 and above to watch. The Balearic Islands are not the only region to have banned or restricted bullfighting as an increasing number of Spaniards discard it as a cruel event. But the measures have always come up against stiff resistance from supporters who see the tradition as an integral part of Spanish culture. Last October, Spain’s Constitutional Court cancelled a bullfighting ban in the northeastern region of Catalonia.
While not prohibiting bullfighting outright, the regional parliament of the Spanish archipelago voted an animal protection law banning the use of “sharp implements that can injure and/or kill the bull” in the ring, effectively outlawing the slaughter of the animal. The law also limits to three the number of animals that bullfighters can spar with, for a maximum duration of ten minutes per bull. It also forces bullfighters and animals to take anti-doping tests before and after the corrida, and only allows people aged 18 and above to watch. The Balearic Islands are not the only region to have banned or restricted bullfighting as an increasing number of Spaniards discard it as a cruel event. But the measures have always come up against stiff resistance from supporters who see the tradition as an integral part of Spanish culture. Last October, Spain’s Constitutional Court cancelled a bullfighting ban in the northeastern region of Catalonia.