The video of the fatal clash between the halter and the Toro Jubilo de Medinaceli

What happened at the party jubilant bull held this weekend in the Soria town of Medinaceli has raised blisters among animal associations. “Before the metal frame on its horns is set on fire, it is seen that the bull already comes out with injuries because he has blood in his mouth. She is seen suffering from the first moment. He’s panting, hyperventilating, he walks short stretches because the flames are huge and he can’t see… the pictures speak for themselves. was all an aberration that culminated in his death“, they denounce from PACMA, the Animalist Party Against Animal Abuse.

NIUS has contacted the organizers, the Jubilo Bull Association, which defends that the act was held according to the legally established measures and that the death of the animal was due to an accident. “The only one in the last 100 years to celebrate the celebration,” they say before detailing how the accident occurred. “Once the balls were turned off, the bull was returned to the bullpen, for which, as usual, a halter was removed to speed up the process. Unfortunately, the halter came out of the bullpen at high speed, hitting the bull on the head.” , count. “The blow was so violent that it left the bull completely stunned, until he finally collapsed to his death. The blow caused a severe head injury that caused a stroke that ended his life“, they justify.

“I have seen the images and it does not give the impression that there is a clash of heads. Yes, a thud is heard“, adds Eva Ramos, PACMA legal advisor. This tradition ends with the pardon of the bull, but this time it was not possible. “The bull could have died from the blow, but also from all the previous suffering, because the stress to which submitting to these animals is tremendous”, he argues. “Imagine how that animal that has been raised in a pasture, where it lives peacefully, will live, being boxed up for hours, surrounded by a crowd, being held, being urged on, that they set fire to the horns, and all this, in addition, in the midst of fireworks, which make the animals panic,” he says.

“It’s crazy. It’s all outrageous,” he laments. “Faced with this situation, the first thing is to analyze what has happened, see if it conforms to the regulations that the celebration itself has, the ordinance, the regional bullfighting regulations and decide what measures must be taken, “he explains.” Now we have to see if it can be considered a crime of animal abuse, if things have been done, let’s say not allowed, that have led to that result of death and make a complaint in that case”. “In the Toro de Jubilo, the bulls are supposedly pardoned, but after what they suffer it would be necessary to know if What has not happened to others has not happened to this one, that they have died at the end of the celebration,” he stresses.

NIUS has contacted the Medinaceli City Council, which does not want to comment on what happened and argues that they were not the organizers of the event. “But they have responsibility” Ramos blurts out. “To celebrate any celebration you have to request authorization from the City Council, which, when approving it, is responsible for the safety of both people and animals in this type of celebration.”, points out. “If the Association of the Jubilee Bull has done something that is not right, the City Council will have to hold them accountable, but the citizens we have to hold accountable are the public entities that authorize this type of act,” he details.

“Unfortunately The new Animal Protection Law will not prevent celebrations like this or cases of animal abuse like this“, denounces Eva Ramos to NIUS. Because the law excludes all animals used in bullfightingand not only to them, but also to production animals -which are all those with which some lucrative activity is carried out-, to animals used in experimentation and other scientific purposes and to wild animals”, he clarifies.

“As you can see, it is a totally insufficient law“, he emphasizes. “In the end it will be a law that will protect animals considered pets. And not in all cases, because the PSOE has presented an amendment to also exclude dogs used in activities such as hunting from the law,” he laments. “If the Socialist Party does not withdraw this amendment, these animals would not be protected by the law either. new law, and that represents a huge setback because right now in none of the animal protection laws in force in the autonomous communities are hunting dogs excluded from their scope of application”.

“And it is not only a setback in this case. I will give you another example,” adds Ramos. “We have laws, like the Andalusian one, which dates back to 2003, which is going to be 20 years old, which does cover production animals and even those for experimentation. A law that the PSOE made two decades ago, the same political party that today not only does it exclude reproduction and experimentation from the law, but it also wants to exclude dogs used for hunting. It’s nonsense.”

“Regarding the animals used in bullfighting, whether they are bullfights or popular festivals of towns, if they are excluded from all regional lawsbecause if it were not like that, these shows could not be held since they violate the rights of animals,” he insists.

“Many times there is a certain fear of saying animal abuse because it is a crime that is typified in the penal code, but indeed bullfights and these celebrations are legal exceptions to mistreatment. The crime of animal abuse includes a word, “he who mistreats unreasonably to an animal, causing injury or death”. That unjustifiably means that all actions that are regulated by law will be legal, will be exceptions,” says the PACMA jurist.

“There is no greater exponent of animal abuse than a bullfight in which an animal is released and several people stick daggers and swords into it until it dies. That is indeed animal abuse, but it is considered an exception, an activity which is regulated. And the same happens with bullfighting. For them to be held they need an order from the corresponding autonomous community. In In this case of the Jubilee Bull, an order from the Junta de Castilla y León is required, declaring it a traditional bullfighting spectacle. That order is what allows the limits set to be exceeded, even by the bullfighting regulations.”

The Jubilee Bull Association has assured that it “deeply regrets” the “fatal accident” occurred in Medinaceli and ended with the death of the bull. A “unique incident in the last 100 years of celebrating the festival, even more so when it has prevented us from complying with one of its main premises, such as the pardon of the bull,” they explained. “We will take the necessary measures so that this incident does not happen again. in future editions”, they clarify, before reiterating their commitment “to keep our traditions alive”, they tell NIUS.

“It is true that it is an ancient tradition that has been celebrated for centuries,” replies Eva Ramos, “but that does not mean that it has to be maintained.” “Traditions from three centuries ago like this cannot be perpetuated, which are terrible, we must understand that we have evolved as a society,” she concludes.