A firm managing Seville’s famous bullfights is set to give away free tickets to children aged under eight, with animal rights organisations warning it could cause “psychological damage”.
Bullfighting has long come under criticism, with millions signing petitions to ban the shows that take place in Spain annually.
And now they have come under fire yet again after the company Pages said adult spectators could bring along children under eight free of charge.
Children are invited to watch the “novilladas” – practice bullfights involving younger bulls. The company said it was “the best way to introduce the little ones” to the world of bullfighting.
But José Enrique Zaldívar, who heads the Spanish Association of Veterinarians for the Abolition of Bullfighting, said the new initiative was an indication of the declining audiences the company are facing.
He said: “We think it’s wrong that young children are allowed to attend these shows because watching animals suffer can cause psychological damage.”
Those supporting bullfighting have argued the tradition should be preserved, having been around for centuries in the famous Spanish city.
The fights typically see a matador (“killer”) dressed in a shiny suit provoking the animals, before they are eventually killed by a sword.
This week’s announcement by Pages came just days after the Spanish ministry of culture abolished its national bullfighting award over concern about animal welfare, prompting a rebuke from fans and the conservative opposition who see it as an art form and a staple of national identity.
Animal rights campaigners Pacma welcomed the award’s elimination, but are continuing to fight for the shows to come to an end altogether.
The Culture Ministry said it based its decision to abolish the award on the “new social and cultural reality in Spain” where worries about animal welfare have risen while attendance at most bullrings has declined.
“I think that’s the feeling of a majority of Spaniards who can understand less and less why animal torture is practiced in our country…, and much less why that torture gets awarded with public money,” Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun said on X.
The national award came in the form of a €30,000 (£25,806) government cheque and has been bestowed on famous bullfighters such as Julian Lopez, known as “El Juli”, or cultural associations related to the bullfighting tradition.
