Recently I came across this story which was stimulated by an outdoor performance art event as activism. One hundred and twenty five people stripped to their underpants, painted their bodies and created a giant, bleeding bull in front of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. They were protesting against the imminent start of the bullfighting season in the Basque region of Spain.
Bullfighting has recently been banned in Catalonia (the ban to take effect in 2012) and has been banned in the Canary Islands since 1991. The above-referenced article was arguing that there are significant cultural differences between Catalonia and the Basque Country making a ban in the latter highly unlikely – however imaginative the protests. A recent poll suggests that 60% of Spaniards do not care for bullfighting but that 57% do not want to see it banned.
What’s this all got to do with environmental conservation?
My own belief is that it is difficult to build a sustainable conservation effort unless we also manage to change the relationship between man and nature (and here I am including animals as part of nature) to go beyond seeing nature as simply that which is to be exploited for human gain – however small and frivolous that gain. My question is: can reasonably protect species and our natural environment while culturally embracing practices like bullfighting, fighting with dogs, cock fighting, hunting with dogs, and other traditions that reduce the maiming and killing of animals to a mere entertainment for the few? Any and all opinions welcome.
In a final twist, it bears noting that bullfighting proponents have their own conservation argument. If bullfighting were to be abolished, there would be no need to continue to farm the special species of bull that is used for bullfighting and that species would likely become extinct!
Hi !
I agree with all your comments above, but one.
I was in Portugal and as well heard the very stupid argument that if there are no bullfights, there will be an extinction of this specie.
Well we don’t fight against the panthers but we protect them anyway, right ?
Well we don’t fight against the pandas but we protect them anyway, right ?
Well we don’t fight against the gorillas but we protect them anyway, right ?
So why would we have to fight against the bull so that the specie doesn’t go extinct ?
If the countries which have this kind of bull is so stupid to let the specie die just because they don’t USE it, so the country is even more stupid than I thought about.
Every intelligent country try to protect their own species, not only because they use it, but because it is part of their country, culture and so on…
So I hate when I listen or read about this argument, because for me it is totally no sense !!!
I really don’t believe that 50% are against ending with the fights. What I believe is that the lobby is richer, and therefore have more power to keep it.
Go to youtube for example and pls try to find at least 1 video or comment for the fightings !!!
The problem is that this voices are spread and they are not able to get together to scream loud enough!
Pls keep publishing things against bullfighting. It is not human !!!
Thanks!, Sandra
ps. By the way, wonderful pictures !!!!!
Sandra
Thanks for your comment. I personally agree with what you say. Sadly, the Spanish government has recently declared bullfighting an item of national heritage so it will now likely be impossible for any other region to ban it. But the reality is that it will die it’s own slow and painful death over time. Few people go to watch these days and, in these difficult economic times, it’s hard to sustain the subsidies.