Throughout the summer fiesta calendar this year, bulls who were destined to be brutally killed in fiestas have fought back, and this week they claimed their ninth fatality in the popular ‘bous al carrer’ events.
In this latest event, a man, said to be in his seventies, died in the fiestas being celebrated in the municipality of Almassora, a town in the Valencian province of Castellon.
Apparently, the man was walking through the enclosure with another man on calle Mare de Déu de la Llum, near the Church of the Nativity, and, apparently, was hit by the bull.
The animal has gored him on the back of one leg, but the worst injuries have been suffered when he was hit against the bars of the enclosure. He was immediately transferred to the Almassora infirmary, where he was treated by the health team and the surgeon and was intubated.
Later he has been transferred to the General University Hospital of Castelló where he has been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) but shortly after he has died.
The Almassora Council suspended events, including the wine inn and the fair, and called a minute of silence to show its condolences for the event.
The fatalities this year once again ignited the debate about using animals in events like this. Traditionally, the bulls are attacked with spears and daggers until they are unable to continue, and are then killed, an act seen as a success by the supporters. Those who oppose the practice say the events are barbaric and should be banned. In between are supporters who say that so long as the liability insurance covers for fatalities, then the events should continue as part of the cultural history of the community.
