US Man and Two Others Seriously Injured During Bull Run Festival in Spain

Three people, including an American, were gored during a bull run in Spain on Monday, per multiple reports.

Officials said a 25-year-old man from Sunrise, Fla., and two 29-year-old Spanish men, were injured during the fifth bull run at Pamplona’s San Fermín Festival on Monday, the Associated Press, AFP and New York Post reported.

According to the outlets, the American was inside the bullring when he was pierced in the calf. AFP reported that one of the Spanish men was in the ring when one of the animals impaled him in the groin. The other man was gored in his knee while in the street.

Per the reports, the Navarra regional government said three other runners were hurt during the event.

The outlets said the goring incidents are the first to occur at this year’s festival. Three or more runs are conducted daily, with each run ending at Pamplona’s bullring.

Later in the day, the bulls are killed by bullfighters in what some animal rights advocates consider an outdated and horrific practice.

Animal rights activists protested in Pamplona this year, according to the Washington Post, as they have in previous years.

Various animal rights organizations oppose the act of bullfighting, including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). 

“Bullfighting is the long ritualized execution of bulls and many tourists who come to the bull-runs don’t actually realize that the same bulls they’re running down a couple of streets with are later killed in the bullring that day,” Chelsea Monroe, PETA senior digital campaign officer, told the Post.

“They’re stabbed over and over again for 20 minutes until they’re dead,” said Monroe. “We want the tourists to know that their money is supporting this really cruel industry.”

Original Article