Matador Morante de la Puebla was taking part in a bullfighting festival at the Teal Maestranza bullring in Seville, Spain. He had already stabbed the powerful bull with 4 “banderillas” in the back when he walked up to the bull, pulled out his handkerchief, and wiped the face of the bull with his blood-covered hand before killing the animal in front of spectators. Animal rights groups immediately reacted to the action calling it “malicious and perverse”.
The 39-year-old matador is seen pulling out his handkerchief to clean the dying bull’s face before killing it.
Morante de la Puebla has been a matador since 1997. He has quit the job 3 times since then for “mental health issues” or a “lack of enthusiasm”.
The footage of the incident has been shared over 2 million times already bringing light to this barbaric sport. The incident is bringing bullfighting to the front of the stage.
Many bullfighting fans consider the gesture of wiping the tears of the bull a sign of respect for the animal. Social media commenters and animal rights activists see the gesture as the opposite.
Silvia Barquero Nogales, leader of Spain’s Animalist Party Against Mistreatment of Animals (Pacma) political party, said: ‘Only a malicious and perverse mind could torture an animal until the blood pours down its legs and then wipe its face with a tissue. The matador is just disguising for his lack of empathy. Abolish bullfighting now!’
It is very common for bullfighters to be carried into the stadium on the shoulders of their fans. These fans hold the highest respect for the bullfighters while many others around the world are sickened by the actions this sport promotes.
Watch the full video below. (Sensitive Content Warning)
Animal rights groups are outraged by this footage. Activists have been trying to shut down bullfighting for years. It seems that bullfighting is still such a popular sport that they have an uphill battle ahead.