Notes from Spain – appalling ‘tradition’

You’d think that most Spanish municipalities in Spain would like to feature strongly in Wikipedia. That’s not the case for the town of Valmojado.   

This is their entry:

'Valmojado is a municipality located in the province of Toledo, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. According to the 2012 census (INE), it had a population of 4216 inhabitants. They kill young bulls in becerradas:'

If you’re wondering about that last sentence, the colon points to a distressing video which was taken by the animal rights group Pacma. It was taken at a local fair in Castilla-La Mancha. It shows a young calf, between one and two years old, being repeatedly stabbed in the bullring of Valmojado.

Wikipedia commons

 

The squealing of the dying calf can be heard despite the cheers and clapping from the crowd.

It’s an annual event. The participants must be really proud of themselves, indulging in this sickening cruelty.

Apparently, the town hall issued a statement in response, defending its residents against the insults levied since the video was shown, insisting that the calves form part of a ‘serious tradition’. Seriously?

On 10 September, thousands of Spaniards congregated in Madrid to protest about this cruelty and also bullfighting.

Surveys show public support for bullfighting has waned. An Ipsos Mori poll from January carried out for animal welfare organisation World Animal Protection found that only 19 percent of adults in Spain supported bullfighting, while 58 percent opposed it.

While certain regions have banned bullfighting, it isn’t going to go away quite yet. Spain's first pro-bullfight lobbying group, the Bull Foundation, made up of breeders, matadors and aficionados, was set up last year.