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Home / Cow falls into the sea during cruel bull festival: CAS International and AnimaNaturalis file complaint

Cow falls into the sea during cruel bull festival: CAS International and AnimaNaturalis file complaint

11-08-2025

In collaboration with our Spanish sister organization, AnimaNaturalis, CAS International has filed an official complaint with the Basque government. This action was prompted by a shocking incident that occurred on July 31st during a ‘sokamuturra’ bull festival in Pasai Donibane, where a young cow fell into the sea, yet the event irresponsibly continued.

Een koe tijdens Sokamuturra 2024

A stressed cow during the cruel ‘sokamuturra’ bull festival in the Basque Country (Spain). Photo: Aitor Garmendia, AnimaNaturalis, CAS International.

In this type of bull festival, young bulls or cows are tied to a long rope and chased through the streets by a crowd. The rope is used to control and restrict the stressed animal’s movement, causing immense additional stress and exhaustion. On July 31st, an incident occurred on a notoriously dangerous section of the route in Pasai Donibane, a village near San Sebastián.

Despite a similar incident taking place at the exact same location in 2014, no preventative measures were taken to avoid a repeat. The organizers allowed the event to continue, even after one of the young cows fell into the sea. Continuing the ‘festival’ after the animal’s fall is a direct and serious violation of Basque legislation, which stipulates that an event must be immediately halted in case of a serious risk to an animal or human.

According to eyewitnesses and video footage published by the local newspaper, Noticias de Gipuzkoa, the heifer fell into the sea in full view of spectators. The animal had to be rescued by bystanders and shepherds who jumped into the water, as there was no official, organized rescue effort. After the incident, the physical and mental state of the animal was not assessed by an expert, nor was the safety of the situation evaluated.

AnimaNaturalis and CAS International have requested that the Basque government’s ‘Juego y Espectáculos’ directorate initiate a procedure to establish the responsibility of both the organizers and the authorities who failed to intervene. The potential fine for these serious violations could be as high as €150,253.03.

“We are dealing with a very serious violation of the regulations here,” states Cristina Ibáñez, a lawyer for AnimaNaturalis. “Basque legislation clearly states that officials must immediately stop the show in case of serious risk. However, the event continued as if nothing had happened, putting the animal and attendees in danger. Not only were preventative measures ignored, but there were also precedents of the same risk at that location. This makes the negligence all the more unacceptable,” Ibáñez emphasizes.

Campaign: Blood Fiestas

For years, CAS and AnimaNaturalis have been working to end the use of bulls and cows in Spanish festivals. We document these events and file complaints when we witness abuse. We also conduct research. For example, we discovered that in 2019 alone, more than 42 million euros of public funds were spent on 17,708 of these bull festivals. What many people don’t realize is that these festivals are largely funded with public money. We will continue to raise awareness of the animal suffering caused by these cruel events. Sign our petition!

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