Sports

Is Baja About to Ban Bullfighting?

The centuries old tradition and source of controversy is on the ropes in Mexico

This Sunday, more than 45,000 spectators rushed to the biggest bullfighting ring in the world, Plaza México, filling it to capacity like never before. Thousand of souls looking to celebrate the ancestral rite that is bullfighting in Mexico City, selling out tickets,a contrast to Baja California in the north, where just a few days ago, a congressional committee in its local legislature voted to move forward on a bill that would ban bullfighting in the state.

Bullfighting of course, has been controversial ever since it started back in Spain. While some call it art, others classify it as animal cruelty, and that sentiment has been gaining ground this side of the Atlantic in the last couple of years. The first Mexican state to ban bullfighting was Sonora back in 2013, a year later, the state of Guerrero followed and then Coahuila. And now, Baja California could be next.

Other countries have their own efforts to ban what some call a sport and others animal cruelty. Spain, the motherland of bullfighting, has managed to ban it in more than 80 towns and in provinces like Asturias, Andalusia, the Canaries and Catalonia. And there are similar efforts in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Portugal and France.

Bullfighter supporters highlight that the art has a rich history in Mexican tradition. The first registered bullfight in Mexico happened on June, 24, 1526 and since then, bullfighting spread to the rest of the country. They also claim that during the bullfight, the animal’s pain and suffering aren’t the goal of the art.

They even go as far as accusing those who want to ban the sport as having double standards, since the bulls are meant to die anyways, either in slaughterhouses or for their skin, used for clothing and footwear. They claim that most of the protesters probably also eat either bull or cow meat and leather clothing.They also say that the bulls chosen for the art live longer and healthier on average, since a stronger bull gives a better spectacle.

One of the most disputed elements among bullfighting is awarding the matador the dead bull’s ears and tail. If the matador performed well, the crowd asks for an ear to be awarded, an equivalent of a trophy. If the performance was exceptionally great, the matador gets rewarded with two ears and in some plazas even the tail. Although activists catalogue the reward as an act of cruelty, it’s considered part of a tradition that’s filled with history. In early times, the matador used to collect his payment based on how many ears he had. Sometimes they would give him the bull’s meat and then he would sell it or keep it to feed its family. Nowadays, the ears and tail awarding is just a symbolic act.

Despite the pros and cons regarding the Fiesta Brava, the protests against bullfighting have been growing each day. In Plaza México, while some were paying up to 150,000 pesos (around $8,224 dollars) per ticket, close to 200 people gathered outside to demand its banning.

In Baja California, the Environment and Sustainable Development Committee of the local Congress, voted unanimously on a bill that would reform the Domestic Animals Protection Act. This initiative not only proposes prohibiting bullfighting, but cock fighting and any other similar public or private event that involves the abuse of animals.The vote comes also a week after a deadly shooting at an illegal cock fighting event in Ensenada, which prompted Baja legislators to act on the issue.

Since its inception, bullfighting has received criticism, bans and has had numerous problems. However, even though there’s a lot of opposition, thousands still consider it an art and a cultural tradition that must be preserved. Only time will tell if it can survive as an art form or be eliminated, regarded as animal cruelty. Meanwhile, at least in Baja California, bullfighting remains on the hands of the state’s Congress.

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yanularamirez@gmail.com

Translated by: edgar.martinez@sandiegored.com

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