Ban bull-bird barbarity 30 August 2006 ICABS has called on the President of Peru to stop a barbaric event which revolves around a condor attacking a bull. The bird is tied to the bull's back by villagers and frantically attempts to peck its way to freedom. The Yawar fiesta is cruel to both bird and bull. "Maddened with pain": An unfortunate bull is taunted by locals while a condor savagely pecks at its back. According to information recently presented on an official Peruvian website, the event takes place as part of an Independence Day celebration, with the animals representing the Spanish and Andean worlds. The site provided the following disturbing insight into the suffering involved: "Once the condor has been trapped, it is lashed to the bull's back, which the bird pecks at savagely in a bid to free itself. At the same time, the bull is released in the ring and surrounded by spontaneous bullfighters who fend off the animal with their ponchos. The bull, maddened with pain, leaps into the air trying to rid itself of the condor. Finally, when the bull has been overcome - and it usually is - the condor is set free amidst music and general rejoicing. If the condor is badly wounded, or dies, it is taken as an omen for the village." In our appeal to President Alan Gabriel Ludwig Garcia Perez, the Irish Council Against Blood Sports expressed our disappointment that the bull-condor fight was allowed to take place in Peru. "Such barbarity should have no place in a civilised country like Peru and it is disappointing to see it being hailed as a 'popular festivity' on an official Peruvian tourism website," we stated. "Peru is one of the most stunning countries in the world with a huge variety of activities for tourists - we believe that there is no necessity to associate Peru with a cruel activity of this type." ACTION ITEM Please join us in our appeal to the Peruvian President. Ask him to ban bull-condor fighting at the Yawar fiesta (Ccollurqui Village, Peru). Also contact the Commission for the Promotion of Peru to register your opposition. Alan Gabriel Ludwig Garcia Perez President of Peru El Despacho Presidencial Plaza Mayor s/n Lima, Peru Email: presidente@presidencia.gob.pe Commission for the Promotion of Peru Email: postmaster@promperu.gob.pe Please send a copy of your letter to the following: Jorge Del Castillo Prime Minister of Peru Office of the Prime Minister Lima, Peru Embassy of Peru (United Kingdom) 52 Sloane Street London SW1X 9SP England Email: postmaster@peruembassy-uk.com Tel: +44 (0) 20 7235 1917 / 20 7235 2545 Fax: +44 (0) 20 7235 4463 (Embassies of Peru in other countries can be found at: http://www.embassy-worldwide.com/country/peru/) SAMPLE LETTER (Please compose your own personal letter if possible. If you do not have time to do this, please send the short sample letter below. Be assertive, but polite, in all correspondence. Thank you.) Dear Sir, I wish to register my opposition to the bull-condor fighting event which takes place every year at the Yawar fiesta in Ccollurqui, Peru. I implore you to intervene to bring this cruel event to an end. Such cruelty should not be permitted in a civilised country like Peru as it tarnishes the country's international image as one of the prettiest places on the planet. Thank you. I look forward to your reply. Yours sincerely, Name/Location News Menu | Join | Top | Home