Darrell Wade, co-founder and CEO of Intrepid Travel, writes:
I’m not here to rain on anyone’s parade but I would like to see an end to the Running of the Bulls at Pamplona.
The young Australian and other participants injured in this year’s event have my sympathies but we should also spare a thought for the poor bulls that are forced to run en masse down cobbled streets. This causes significant stress and risks serious injury to both the bulls and the people attending.
I appreciate that events such as Pamplona’s famous bull run are steeped in tradition and history but that doesn’t mean we should turn a blind eye to animal cruelty.
When considering supporting local events such as the Running of the Bulls or bullfighting in Catalonia, as with most animal welfare matters Intrepid Travel has chosen to side with the experts at the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA). WSPA is working with an alliance of European animal welfare groups to get a ban placed on the bullfighting industry discontinued. Furthermore, similar issues are being addressed by WSPA’s member societies in Latin America, where they are campaigning against the bullfights and bull festivals that take place in Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Venezuela.
What do you think? Is it fun or is it cruel? I am just being a wowser?
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