Man Gored as Running of the Bulls Begins
BY AMANDA RIVKIN,AP
Posted: 2007-07-07 12:21:34

PAMPLONA, Spain (July 7) - The running of the bulls, fueled by huge doses of adrenaline and with equally generous lashings of alcohol, began Saturday in the narrow streets of this Spanish city.
An Australian was gored in the buttock, and another runner, a Spaniard from Navarra, was hurt in the shoulder - among seven people injured on the traditional start day of the festivities.

"Injuries have been relatively light," said Jose Aldaba, an emergency work coordinator.



The number of revelers swelled this year because the traditional start day, July 7, fell on a weekend. Last year, more than 200,000 tourists visited Pamplona, according to the city government. Numbers this year are likely to exceed that, said spokeswoman Edurne Elio.

"I stayed up all night drinking. Thank God for espresso," said Matthew Genovese, 25, from Washington, Conn., in Pamplona for the first time.

Last year an American, 31-year-old Ray Ducharme, was thrown by a young cow in an event at the bullring following the first run. He underwent a 90-minute operation to reattach two vertebrae.



"They don't know what they're doing; bulls can kill," said Ruben Munoz, 24, from Madrid, who has run with the bulls during each of the last five years. "I do it for the adrenaline and because I feel liberated."

The start of the run, normally at 8 a.m., was delayed by six minutes because police were still clearing the streets of debris and drunken crowds.

The bulls, which are kept in an enclosure just outside the town center, are run daily during the San Fermin Festival to Pamplona's central bullring.

Each of the nine days of San Fermin features bulls from a different breeder. This year the festival began with six bulls from Dolores Aguirre. The lightest weighed 1,212 pounds and the heaviest 1,356 pounds.



Injuries are common as the crowds strive to keep ahead of the bulls in narrow streets.

Since records began in 1924, 13 people have been killed. The last fatality, a 22-year-old American, was gored to death in 1995.



The San Fermin Festival dates back to the late 16th century but gained worldwide fame in Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel "The Sun Also Rises."












is that MDIVER on that poor bull's horn up there?


olé

Animal torture is something to be proud of? They should make it illegal.

Bastid cruel spaniards.

WOW!!!!! I'd love to go to the running of the bulls. BUT what I reall want to go to is the Tomatino festival.


M

HamsterHuey said:

exactly my point hence the " " emoticon.

MIGUELGOMEZ said:

Tomato torture is something to be proud of? They should make it illegal! Poor people in the world are starving and they go wasting good tomatoes.

Bastid whatever they are's!

CHIC0 said:

Well, it is just a small emoticon and it is drowned out by the many pics that look like they are gloryfying animal torture.



Grovel.

HamsterHuey said:

HamsterHuey said:

kiss it!!!

.
[Edited 7/7/07 10:51am]

HamsterHuey said:

HamsterHuey said:

took the words right out of my mouth..

the running of the bulls is cool and all but I can think of a few other reasons to be proud to be a spaniard...

and the bull isn't all that tortured...

Way to be CHICO

statuesqque said:

yeah and i'm sure the toredo dosen't stick swords in the bull either..

statuesqque said:

After the bulls are exhausted by running from the baying mobs lining the streets, they are then taken to the bullring to be tortured further.

I'm sorry, but if Spain disappeared in a mushroom cloud tomorrow, I wouldn't care less. I'd have to save Pandurito and a few others first though.

It makes me ashamed to be a European.

Click on this link to take action (don't worry, there aren't any more pictures):

http://petauk.org/alerts/...sp?id=1057

.
[Edited 7/7/07 14:32pm]

CHIC0 said:

Does it also count if you are part Spanish too?

statuesqque said:

They are too exhausted by that point to know what is happening and they spear the animal right in the neck, between the shoulder blades in it's spinal cord, killing the nervous system effectively. It is the matadors' responsibility to get that right first time. If they don't then they aren't a good matador and then the animal does suffer.
[Edited 7/7/07 15:40pm]

Boooo!!!!!

MIGUELGOMEZ said:

I did La Tomatina last year - crazy!

the title of this thread is meant to be sarcastic people..

i mean i am proud to be Spanish...but i was pointing out the insanity of this tradition. ok nevermind

CHIC0 said:

I got it(or at least I though that's what you meant), but I was responding to the anti-bull people.

and i hope none of you wear anything that is leather or eat any kind of flesh...

or i'll have irresistablebitch call you on it.

CHIC0 said:

There are many spaniards who are proud to be still part of, and attend the bull fighting tradition.

live4lust said:

no sweat. but you know you have to clarify everything you type when on the org.

Justin1972UK said:

So, are you sayin' that ALL spaniards love the bullfights?

CHIC0 said:

that happens sometimes here... it's okay
[Edited 7/7/07 16:34pm]

Ummmm can I just polietly point out that it dosen't seem to be just the bulls that are being tortured in the Bull running there? It could be just me but it seems that a few ppl might be just a little injured
And yes, I do not like the whole Bull running or fighting, but otherwise


VIVA ESPANA