Spanish region bans killing of bulls outside bullring

The government of the Spanish autonomous community of Castilla and Leon on Thursday passed a decree banning the killing of bulls outside a bullring.

The move will mean a major change to local festivals involving bulls, especially the controversial Toro de la Vega held in the town of Tordesillas in September.

In the event, a bull is pursued over open country by men on horseback before being speared to death. It has sparked protests by animal rights activists, who believe the tradition is both brutal and cruel and has no place in the 21st century.

Recent years have seen increasingly bitter clashes between those who defend the tradition and those who oppose it.

The decree passed on Thursday means bulls cannot be killed at the end of the chase during festivals such as the Toro de la Vega.

Animal rights activists highlight this doesn't mean the animal will necessarily be spared, given that it can be killed later in a bullring or simply put down. They say the long chase it endures before it collapses through exhaustion is cruel in itself.

Regional government spokesperson Rosa Valderon told the Spanish press that this year's Toro de la Vega will go ahead, but that the bull will not be speared to death. Enditem