Colombia’s Congress voted on Tuesday to ban bullfighting in the South American nation, dealing a major blow to a centuries-old tradition that has caused much controversy in countries where it is still practised, FoxNews reports.
The bill would ban bullfighting for three years, making the tradition illegal by the start of 2028. President Gustavo Petro, who has long opposed the events, will sign the new law soon.
Bullfighting originated in the Iberian Peninsula and is still allowed in several countries including Spain, France, Portugal, Peru, Ecuador and Mexico.
Once a popular event was broadcast live on numerous television networks. However, the tradition has come under scrutiny as views on animal welfare are changing and many find it unacceptable to see an animal suffer for entertainment. Terry Hurtado, an animal rights activist and city council member in Cali, who has been leading protests against bullfights since the 1990s, said:
This ban is a huge victory for organisations that have worked to transform society and reject violence against animals. 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 bullfighting, the matador faces bulls that are bred to be aggressive. The matador taunts the bull with a red cape and kills it with a sword blow after the animal, wounded by spears and daggers, lunges tiredly at the matador in the circular arena.
In Colombia, where bullfighting has been held since colonial times, fewer than two dozen municipalities continue to host the event, although annual bullfights in the city of Manizales still draw tens of thousands of spectators.
Fans of bullfighting have called the ban an attack on the freedom of minorities and a problem for cities where the events draw thousands of visitors.
