The company that runs bullfights in Seville's renowned bullring will give away free tickets to children under eight. This decision gives more fuel to the national debate about the traditional and bloody event.
Pages said adult spectators with tickets for “novilladas” — bullfighting involving younger bulls — in Seville's Maestranza can be accompanied by a child free of charge.
The company considers it to be “the best way to introduce minors to the world of bullfighting”.
Jose Enrique Zaldivar, who heads the Spanish Association of Veterinarians for the Abolition of Bullfighting, said attracting children was the only way bullfighting could recover an audience that is currently in decline.
“We think it is wrong to allow young children to watch these shows because seeing animals suffer can cause psychological harm,” he added.
Bullfighting, in which the animal usually ends up killed by a sword thrust by a brightly attired matador, is defended by people who call it a tradition that must be preserved, while critics call it a cruel ritual with no place in modern society. .
Pages' announcement came just days after Spain's Ministry of Culture abolished its national bullfighting award due to concerns about animal welfare.
The announcement provoked a rebuke from fans and the conservative opposition, who view bullfighting as an art form and a staple of national identity.
The Spanish Ministry of Culture declined to comment on Pages' decision.
The animal rights party PACMA highlighted this Tuesday (7) that it welcomed the end of the award, but also called for the end of public subsidies to tauromáquica (bullfighting) foundations and breeders, which, according to it, totaled almost 6 million euros (more than 32 million reais) between 2020 and 2024.
Source: CNN Brasil

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