The Sacred Art of Bullfighting Looks to Be on its Last Legs.

                                                                 Dance of
the Bull


The almost sacred act of bullfighting, raised to a giddy aesthetic by
Ernest Hemingway who found meaning between the bull’s treacherous horns,
might go the way of other rituals, such as feeding Christians to the lions
in the Coliseum.

The reason for the likely demise of bullfighting is not that Spain is
getting religion or the government is paying attention to squeamish
American tourists who think the sport bad form. The real threat comes from
the spread of mad cow disease which has infected the Spanish herds. This
could be the death-knell for the popular activity in Madrid and Pamplona
which rivals beer drinking in Germany during the Oktoberfest.

Animals rights activists, such as People for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals headed by actor Alec Baldwin, have long argued that bullfighting is
not a sport at all. After all, PETA charges, the bull who would rather eat
grass or copulate with cows, has to be taught to charge the matador. Since
the bull is color blind, he is not really responding to the red cape; he is
responding to the movement.

By the time the matador comes into the ring, the bull is pretty much on his
last legs. During the warm-up period, he has been stuck by so many knives
and stilettos that the bull is bleeding to death before the matador
arrives. No wonder the matador has to taunt, coax, and plead with the bull
to respond. By this time the bull is so tired and weak from loss of blood
that the matador faces little danger. There is almost no chance the bull
will get anywhere close to the matador. That fine dance Hemingway found on
the dangerous points of the bull’s horns is entirely a one-man show.

The possibility that the bulls could be infected with mad cow disease has
prompted the European Union to recommend abolishing bullfighting, much to
the chagrin of Spain, which vows never to give up such an important piece
of its culture. The EU argues that bulls lose a massive amount of blood
which is sometimes liberally applied to the faces of all those involved in
the bullfighting ritual. And it is not uncommon for a matador to kiss the
bull on his bloody flank before the coup d’grace is applied. Indeed, some
matadors have been known to consume the blood of a freshly-killed bull,
believing that this will impart energy and safety. Some matadors and fans
consume bull testicles for the same reason, thinking it will improve their
manliness. 

The EU is also concerned about how the carcass is disposed of. By custom
bull rings donate the meat to old age homes and the entrails to stray dogs
outside the arena. The horns are usually sold to Japanese tourists who
might also buy the ears and tail. The fear is that infected bull parts
could spread the disease to the four corners of the globe.

An interim solution calls for Spanish officials to give bulls a kind of IQ
test, which would determine if the animal has holes in his brain, an
important indicator of mad cow disease. Any bull that displays the
slightest interest in participating in the national sport will be
considered mad--and shot on the spot.