BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia’s congress voted Tuesday to ban bullfights within the South American nation, delivering a severe blow to a centuries-old custom that has impressed well-known songs and novels however has change into more and more controversial within the international locations the place it’s nonetheless practiced.
The invoice requires the banning of bullfights in a three-year span, making the custom unlawful by the beginning of 2028. The brand new legislation now must be signed by President Gustavo Petro, who has been a longtime opponent of those occasions.
Bullfighting originated within the Iberian Peninsula and continues to be authorized in a handful of nations, together with Spain, France, Portugal, Peru, Ecuador and Mexico.
It was as soon as a well-liked occasion, broadcast dwell by a number of tv networks. However the custom has come below elevated scrutiny as views change about animal welfare, and lots of discover it unacceptable to see an animal endure for leisure’s sake.
“This ban is a huge victory for organizations that have worked to transform society and reject violence against animals,” stated Terry Hurtado, an animal rights activist and metropolis council member in Cali, who has been main protests in opposition to bullfights because the Nineteen Nineties. “I feel relieved that bulls and horses (which also participate in some bullfights) in Colombia will no longer be tortured, and that children will no longer be exposed to this spectacle.”
In bullfights, a matador faces bulls which can be bred to be aggressive.
The matador taunts the bull with a pink cape and kills the animal with the blow of a sword after it has been injured with lances and daggers, and is uninterested in charging on the matador in a round area.
In Colombia, the place bullfights have been held since colonial instances, lower than two dozen municipalities proceed to carry these occasions, though the annual bullfights within the metropolis of Manizales nonetheless draw tens of 1000’s of spectators.
Bullfighting aficionados described the ban as an assault on the freedoms of minorities in addition to an issue for cities the place these occasions draw 1000’s of holiday makers.
