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Speared to death: Linoso is dead
19th September, 2001
Despite intensive efforts by anti-cruelty campaigners in Ireland and all around the world, authorities in the Spanish village of Tordesillas allowed a bull to be painfully speared to death last week as part of the annual Toro de Vega fiesta. Linoso, a six-year-old bull, was released from a lorry in the village centre and chased by a savage crowd carrying spears and daggers. Their aim was to stab the animal as many times as it took to kill it. Linoso suffered their torment for more than twenty minutes before finally collapsing in agony and dying. Disturbing photographs taken at the fiesta show a crowd of locals surrounding the bull and plunging spears into his body from both sides. This mirrors the suffering of last year's bull which had a spear driven through its entire body. The spear remained embedded in the animal for a further 35 minutes as the bloody frenzy continued. According to local media reports, the 2001 fiesta was praised by organisers as a success. "The competitors decided that they were all victors and that the winner was Tordesillas village. The general feeling of the tournament participants was that they had enjoyed a clean tournament, the cleanest for many years, and that the fiesta took place with excitement and respect for tradition."
Photos: (left to right) A spear is thrust into the side of Linoso, savage locals surround Linoso and drive spears into his body from both sides, last year's bull with two spears embedded in its body. (Fran Jiménez, Fidel Raso, ANPBA) However, this is a view that is certainly not shared by the majority of Spaniards. An opinion poll showed that 59 per cent view the Toro de Vega as "murderous" while only 13 per cent see it as a tradition worth keeping. Spain's National Association for Animal Protection and Welfare (ANBPA) described the fiesta as "abhorrent, shameful and a horrendous crime in which a horde armed with spears, whose blades measure 35 centimetres, hound an animal with the sole purpose of spearing it in any part of its body until they kill it". "The local government is justifying a cruelty, thus showing its backward nature and unworthiness to be governing a people who have shown that they are against animals suffering in events involving bulls," they added. ACTION Please help us to keep as much pressure as possible on these politicians. Send an email to the following and demand that they step in to stop the horror. Let us try and save next year's bull from the agonising death suffered by Linoso.
Contact Details:
Mayoress of Tordesillas
President of the Castilla and Leon region (in which the fiesta takes place)
Regional Presidency Councillor for Castilla and Leon region
The President of the Spanish Government
Spanish Ambassador to Ireland
Tel: (01) 269 1640 or (01) 269 2597
National Association for the Protection and Welfare of Animals
NOTE: When writing to the above, please state your name, country and email address. Vote for an end to the Toro de Vega Express your desire to see an end to the Toro de Vega. Visit the opinion poll webpage and cast your vote. Click on "Encuesta" (Opinion Poll) on the left column, choose "Una Salvajada" (a barbaric act) and click on "Enviar Datos" (Submit Vote).
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