Friday, 22 April 2016

STOP BULLFIGHTING

One of the most unforgettable experience I had in Spain was in a bull ring in Madrid.
It was the most regretful decision we had ever made.
So before watching the bullfight, we were all filled with excitement and I was imagining a person 'playing' with a bull with a red cloth.
And therefore we entered the ring without knowing anything about a bullfight.
It was about 4.30pm and the sun was scorching hot.
As the bull came in, everyone cheered and there were a few people(i have no idea what are they called) swinging their pink cape to attract/agitate/distract? the bull and I had no idea what was happening.
Okay so after that here came the matador with is red cape trying to 'play around' with the bull.
I was quite terrified because it seemed the bull was going to poke him anytime.
And yes the bull successfully hit the matador once and thank god nothing serious happened.
(Sorry if I am talking too much nonsense)
Now I am going to tell the part where my heart was crushed into pieces.
After some time I was still stupidly staring without knowing what was going on until a person called banderillero came.
He was holding two 'banderillas' which are two colourful sticks with barbed points at the end.(based on what I saw) His job was to place the sticks while running as close as possible to the bull.
According to what I saw, the hook at the end of the sticks stuck at the back of the bull.
It was obvious that the blood was dripping from the back of the bull while it's still running.
There were a total of  6 sticks hanging at the back of the bull in the end.
Before I forget, there was a picador riding a horse at one side of the ring. Sometimes the bull would attack the horse and the picador would repeatedly stab the bull's neck with barbed lances to get rid of it.
In the very end, the bull collapsed after so much torture and it was dragged away by four horses, again with hooks.
I could not believe that people actually watch this for entertainment. We were so 'depressed' and left the ring after two rounds. Typically six bulls are killed per show.
So we did some googling and found out that the bull was no longer a healthy one before entering the ring. The bull is usually locked in a dark stable for two days. They shave down his horns to confuse spatial awareness, rub Vaseline into his eyes to blur his vision, and often severe the tendons on the back of his neck to prevent him from lifting up his head.
Sometimes they stuff wet newspapers into his ears cotton wool into his nostrils, stick needles into his genitals, and rub strong caustic sodas into his legs, which throws him off balance. All these are to weaken and disorientate the bull.
When he senses light, he rushes towards the light thinking that there is still a slight hope of life. But, in fact the place he is heading to is the place that is going to kill him.
To everyone who read this post, please do not ever go for it if you still have a heart. I truly hope this will be banned to save million of bulls. *sobs*