During Pamplona's historic San Fermín festival, a participant in the world-famous Running of the Bulls was captured on video violating a cardinal rule: never pull on a bull's tail. The incident occurred as participants navigated the arena with the bulls.
The footage shows the man grabbing the bull's tail and raising his arms in apparent triumph. However, his celebration was short-lived as a crowd surrounded him, violently pushing him to the ground and repeatedly kicking him. It remains unknown if the individual faced any official consequences for his actions.
Pulling on an animal's tail is strictly prohibited during the Running of the Bulls. This act is known to agitate and disorient the bulls, potentially causing them to turn suddenly and putting runners at risk of being trampled or gored. Such actions, along with hitting or harassing the animals, are considered dangerous and can lead to severe penalties. These penalties may include arrest, substantial fines, and immediate removal from the event, according to the Matador Network.
Animal rights activists have consistently criticized the San Fermín festival and similar events, citing the stress and cruelty inflicted upon the bulls. Reports indicate that annually, over 180,000 bulls are killed in bullfighting festivals globally, according to the Humane Society for Animals. This year's San Fermín festival has seen approximately 60 individuals sustain injuries, including gorings and bruises, according to Euro News.
Since record-keeping began in 1911, sixteen people have died during the festival. The last recorded fatality occurred in 2009 when a 27-year-old Spaniard was gored by a bull, resulting in fatal injuries to his neck, heart, and lungs. In a separate incident in June, a bullfighter was gored in the leg during a performance at the Las Ventas arena in Madrid. The bullfighter, Paco Ureña, was impaled when the animal's horns hooked under his arm, tossing him into the air before he crashed back to the arena floor. Other matadors intervened to allow Ureña to escape, and he was treated for his leg injury in the bullring's infirmary.