Bull runs in Pamplona end with 60 dead bulls
15-07-2025The San Fermín festival in the Spanish city of Pamplona has come to an end, with the tragic result of 60 dead bulls. For eight days, six bulls ran through the narrow streets of Pamplona each morning, moving through a screaming crowd of people. By the end of the very same day, they died in the arena during a bullfight.
Bull runs in Pamplona end with 60 dead bulls | Picture: Tras los Muros
60 dead bulls
On the first day of the festival, a novillada was held: a bullfight with six young bulls. The following day featured a rejoneo — a bullfight with six adult bulls and a mounted bullfighter. This form is especially risky for the horse, which faces the bull without any protective gear. From the third to the tenth day, daily bullfights took place, each featuring six bulls that had participated in the morning’s encierro (bull run). In total, 48 adult bulls were killed this way.
But the suffering is not limited to these bulls. Every morning, oxen are also made to run alongside the bulls to keep them calmer during the bull runs. And once the bulls have arrived in the arena, festivalgoers are allowed to entertain themselves with young cows. These animals also experience immense stress, day after day.
Uninformed tourism
Thousands of tourists from both Spain and abroad — including Dutch, British, American, and Australian visitors — take part in the bull runs in Pamplona. But many of them are unaware that the bulls they see running through the streets will later be killed in a gruesome manner. That’s why CAS International calls on tourists not to attend the bull runs in Pamplona and not to contribute to the continuation of bullfighting.
👉🐃RIP for the first 12 bulls killed in
Pamplona (Spain). Today another 6 will be killed.And this is not the only animal suffering in Pamplona.
Every morning after the bull runs, young cows are
released into the arena for the public to “have fun”
with. pic.twitter.com/WczZYNw8Vb— CAS International (@CAS_Int) July 8, 2024
Images by CAS International taken in Pamplona (2019)
What many people also don’t know: bullfighting in Spain is partly funded with European tax money. Although bullfighting is banned in most European countries, between 500 and 700 million euros in subsidies are estimated to flow into the bullfighting sector in Spain each year. About 130 million euros of that would come from EU agricultural subsidies.
19,000 cruel animal fiestas
Bullfights are only part of the many animal festivals held in Spain. In 2024, around 19,000 cruel fiestas involving bulls and cows were organized. According to research by CAS International and AnimaNaturalis, Spanish municipalities spend approximately 42 million euros annually on subsidies for these events.
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