Fury as matador wipes away wounded bull’s TEARS with tissue before killing it in front of cheering crowd
A MATADOR has sparked fury in Spain after he wiped away a wounded bull’s tears before killing it in front of a cheering crowd.
Video footage shows Morante de la Puebla, 39, dabbing the bloodied animal’s eyes with a tissue as fans applauded the cruel act inside the Maestranza bullring in Seville.
But animal rights campaigners have branded him “perverse” and “sadistic”.
One woman said: “What disgusting sadism. It is unbearable to see this. Unbearable.”
In the footage shared on Twitter and viewed over two million times, the matador is seen pulling out a tissue with his blood-soaked hand to wipe the tears from the dying bull’s eyes.
‘SADISTIC’
The bull is seen with four spiked banderillas sticking out of its back before the final death act takes place.
Silvia Barquero Nogales, leader of Spain’s Animalist Party Against Mistreatment of Animals (Pacma) political party, said: “Only a malicious and perverse mind could torture an animal until the blood pours down its legs and then wipe its face with a tissue.
“The matador is just disguising his lack of empathy. Abolish bullfighting now.”
The footage has gone viral in Spain where bullfighting still divides opinion.
While some say it is an integral part of the Spanish culture and heritage. others say the cruel sport should be banned.
Bullfighting code stipulates that the matador should first taunt the bull with his cape before sticking sharp swords into the animal.
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The matador then kills the animal with a thrust into its neck to honour its bravery.
A spokesman for Pacma Cordoba said: “The gesture of Morante de la Puebla drying the tears of a bloody and tortured bull is insane and perverse. It is a cruelty without limits.”
The party has pledged to fight for a blanket ban on bullfighting in the Spanish parliament and is making the stance one of their platforms for the local elections at the end of May.
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