Things to consider before running with the bulls

Things to consider before running with the bulls

Next month, Pamplona’s streets will be stained with the blood of almost 50 bulls, and while most see this tourist attraction as a must do for their bucket list, there are some background things you may want to consider before taking on this annual event.

According to PETA Australia, before the runs, these animals will be tormented with electric prods and sharp sticks and may also be debilitated with tranquilisers. They will slip and slide along the narrow cobblestone streets of Pamplona, goaded by hundreds of revellers, before they end up in the bullring.

Once there, more than a dozen people will attack each one of the terrified bulls, taunting, beating and jabbing them with daggers for approximately 15 minutes – until the matadors take over to stab the exhausted animals repeatedly with a sword.

You may not realise that bullfighting is something many Spanish people are working hard to end and, in all likelihood, would already have ended without the massive EU subsidies that support this dying industry.

A ban on bullfighting in Catalonia came into effect in 2011 after parliamentarians were presented with the signatures of 180,000 residents demanding an end to the carnage. Bullfighting has also been outlawed in the Canary Islands, and more than 100 Spanish cities and towns have declared their opposition to bullfighting.

According to a Gallup survey, 76 percent of Spaniards have no interest in attending or supporting bullfights.

Former Spanish Minister of the Environment Cristina Narbona – the daughter of a bullfighting expert – publicly denounced the blood sport, saying, “I am deeply ashamed of living in a country with such a tradition.”

Might be something to consider before attending the Running of the Bulls.

Latest News

  • Destinations
  • News

APT Launches 2025 Asia Adventures

APT has launched its Asia Adventures for 2025, including new luxury holidays in India, Sri Lanka and Japan. Five new tours lead guests to the highlights of India, including a seven-night cruise along the rarely travelled Lower Ganges aboard the Ganges Voyager. Further south, Sri Lanka’s greatest destinations are revealed on a new 15-day Land […]

  • Cruise
  • Luxury
  • News

Seabourn announces Western Kimberley Traditional Owners as Godparents of Seabourn Pursuit

Seabourn has named Western Kimberley Traditional Owners, the Wunambal Gaambera, as Godparents of the ultra-luxury purpose-built Seabourn Pursuit. It is the first cruise line to appoint Traditional Owners as godparents of a ship. Seabourn Pursuit embarks on its inaugural season in the Kimberley region this June. The naming ceremony will take place on Seabourn Pursuit’s […]

  • Luxury

Malolo Island Resort opens brand new Spa

Fiji’s Malolo Island has added another string to its bow – opening its $1.3 million day spa on Thursday, 18th April 2024. (Lead Image: matriarch Rosie Whitton with spa staff) Located at the edge of the resort’s luscious patch of tropical rainforest, the new “Leilani’s Spa” adds another level of elevated experiences to Malolo’s already […]