Many injured in a bull chase in Spain

At least five contestants were injured in the third bull hunt at the traditional “Sanfermins” festival in Pamplona, ​​northern Spain, on Sunday morning.

At least five contestants were injured in the third bull hunt at the traditional “Sanfermins” festival in Pamplona, ​​northern Spain, on Sunday morning.

State television broadcaster RTVE reported that a fighting bull had wounded one of the men in the arm with its long pointed horns. The man and the second runner were taken to hospital, and the other three were treated immediately. Since Friday, a total of 15 runners have been injured in the equally popular and controversial event.

Animal and humans hurt each other

During the third chase, there were sometimes dangerous scenes because several bulls fell to the pavement despite the means of preventing slipping, lost contact with the herd and attacked the runners in the narrow streets disoriented. When the bull tried to catch a man standing directly in front of him, another runner managed to distract the bull at the last moment by forcefully tugging on the tail from behind.

Animal rights activists complain that for animals, bull hunting is nothing more than a panic flight through crowds, something they are completely unfamiliar with. It is cruelty to animals that must stop immediately.

Doubtful audacity

The centuries-old festival in honor of the city’s patron saint, San Fermin, began on Thursday and ends the next Friday. Every day early in the morning, six fighting bulls, some of which weigh more than 600 kilograms, and several tame lead bulls are chased through the narrow streets of the old town to the ring. This is where bullfights take place in the evenings.

Dozens of runners are injured every year in the tests of courage of mostly young men along the 825-meter route. There have been 16 fatalities since 1924, the most recent in 2009. There are eight innings in total.

SDA