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Rage After 'Perverse' Matador Wipes Bull's Tears Before Killing
Bullfighting fans argue that the matador was showing respect for the animal and that others have made similar gestures in the past. What do you think?
Jessica
05.21.19

Ricky Gervais is mad as hell.

After seeing a video of Spanish matador Morante de la Puebla wiping away tears of blood from a bull he was fighting only to deliver a fatal blow moments later, he called the man a “Dirty little psychopathic sequinned C*nt.”

EPA via The Daily Mail
Source:
EPA via The Daily Mail

The matador was taking part in a bullfighting festival at the Real Maestranza bullring in the city of Seville when the photograph was taken.

There are various forms of bullfighting, some more brutal than others. Spanish bullfighting has been called both a bloodsport and an important part of Spanish heritage.

However, outside of Spain, Portugal, and some Latin American countries, bullfighting is illegal. Even people in the countries that host tournaments have come to see the activity as brutal and unnecessary.

Still, it brings in a lot of money and sponsorships and continues to thrive in some areas.

Steven Depolo via Flickr
Source:
Steven Depolo via Flickr

Spanish bullfighting nearly always ends in the killing of the bull, except in rare cases when the animal is deemed to have performed extraordinarily well and is given a “pardon” if his owner agrees to take him back for breeding purposes.

Gervais has long had strong words for anyone who harms animals – as many of us do – especially when calling it a “tradition.” He’s also lashed out at trophy hunters in the past.

Thomas Atilla Lewis via Wikimedia Commons
Source:
Thomas Atilla Lewis via Wikimedia Commons

The actor took to Twitter to draw attention to the event and express his outrage along with a story and photo of the incident from the UK’s Daily Mail newspaper.

In the photo – which we don’t recommend looking at too closely – you can see that the bull is heavily injured by the four spiked “banderillas” sticking out of its back.

While the matador didn’t do anything out of the ordinary per se, animal rights groups have taken issue with what they see as a “malicious and perverse” gesture, giving the matador no credit for any sympathy he might have been showing the animal since he went ahead and killed it.

CEN
Source:
CEN

According to Unilad, the leader of Spain’s Animalist Party Against Mistreatment of Animals, Silvia Barquero Nogales, said:

“Only a malicious and perverse mind could torture an animal until the blood pours down its legs and then wipe its face with a tissue.

The matador is just disguising for his lack of empathy. Abolish bullfighting now.”

After footage of the event was shared online, people have called the matador many things, including “sadistic,” “psychopathic,” “hypocritical,” and, of course, the aforementioned “Dirty little psychopathic sequinned C*nt.”

For many, it was their first glimpse of just how brutal the “sport” really is and many are now calling for it to be abolished.

But bullfighting fans argue that the matador was showing respect for the animal and that others have made similar gestures in the past.

Bullfighting aficionados claim that the bulls’ life better lives than most cattle and that they die quick and glorious deaths.

Pxhere
Source:
Pxhere

But animal lovers have long pointed out that there is no reason to practice the tradition anymore and it simply amounts to unnecessary animal cruelty. They see the bulls’ deaths and slow and torturous.

In some parts of Spain, the final death blow to the bull has been banned, but not in Seville.

However, that may change as people like Gervais continue to use their public platforms to draw attention to bullfighting.

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