Viral Video: Tormented Bull Dies Trying to Escape the Fire on His Horns
Running and disoriented with fear, a bull was killed when he collided with a wooden pole after a group of people set his horns on fire.
Disturbing video footage surfaced this week of the recent toro embolado event that was held in Valencia, Spain. It shows scores of people cheering as the defenseless, tethered bull tries to escape. Just a few seconds later, he rams the wooden pole that he’s tied to, clipping part of his horns and most likely snapping his own neck.
Thousands of people from around the world reacted with horror to the video. Many are calling for an all-out ban on these cruel, gruesome spectacles that are centered on torturing and killing bulls.
Torturous bull runs and bullfights are condemned by the public internationally—and with good reason. Every year, more than 40,000 bulls are slaughtered in rings in Spain alone.
In that country’s infamous bull runs, bulls who are chased by screaming participants down the narrow streets—slipping and sliding, crashing into walls, and breaking bones—will be tortured and killed in the town’s bullring shortly afterward.
It’s no surprise that the majority of Spaniards oppose these bloody, violent, and archaic spectacles. Just this week, Spain’s Balearic Islands voted to criminalize killing bulls during bullfights. Several other regions in Spain, including Barcelona and 38 Catalan municipalities, have made strides to ban the centuries-old blood sport.
What You Can Do
Other animals don’t exist for us to abuse in the name of tradition or for any other reason. If you’re traveling to France, Mexico, Portugal, or Spain, never attend a bullfight, bull run, or any other event in which these noble animals are terrorized and abused. Share this page and spread the word that bullfighting is a senseless, archaic practice that should be ended immediately.
