Oloroso, Hípico, Sonámbulo, Rascatripas, Fundidor, Ofuscado, Legionario and Ibicenco. These are the names of the steers that were tortured and killed on the first date of the Pamplona's Feria del Toro, which inaugurates the bullfights that will be held during San Fermín.
AnimaNaturalis was present at this macabre spectacle to witness this grotesque tradition, to be able to denounce it without makeup and to be able to present to society what bullfighting means without music, camera games and other effects that hide the true face of bullfighting.
We were able to access the very first rows of the Pamplona Bullring at 8:00 p.m. on July 5, shortly after having carried out an annual protest in front of the City Hall. Mixed among the fans, we try to understand how it is possible that there is a fraction of the population that considers that torturing animals is art and should be considered part of Spanish culture.
Since 1959, the first date of the Feria del Toro has been reserved for debutantes and young bullfighters who want to shine before an audience that, during San Fermín, is more concerned with the gang of friends, the food, the alcohol and the comparsas than with their work as matadors.
"As expected, the number of mistakes that the young bullfighters have made during this spectacle have turned it into an even greater savagery than the horror that each bullfight means for the animals" ,said a witness. "This has been a carnage that is impossible to disguise. If it went on television without cuts and edits, it would turn anyone's stomach", adds another.
The images speak for themselves. The bullfighters Christian Parejo, Marcos Linares, Cristiano Torres and José Antonio Baigorri are responsible for the intense suffering that we see in the photos, although it is the Casa de la Misericordia that organizes the Pamplona's Feria del Toro and this is only the first taste of what it will continue for almost ten days. There will be about 60 animals who lose their lives in this arena this year.
