“Flaming-Horned” Bull Fatally Gores Man in Navajas, Spain

A 45-year-old man has been gored to death by a “flaming-horned” bull during a festival in Spain’s eastern town of Navajas.

After large flaming balls of wax were affixed to the beast’s horns in a tradition known as “correbous,” the bull was let loose to rampage through the city’s narrow streets.

Jose Vicente Torres – mayor of Navajas (population 730) – said the accident happened early yesterday when the man, whose name was withheld, tripped and was quickly brought down by the charging animal.

Despite the gruesome accident, Torres said he would not cancel similar “toros embolados,” or “flaming bulls” events scheduled for early Sunday.

“Although ours is a small town, many people from outside come to visit our feast dedicated to Saint Anton,” Torres said, adding that he had offered his condolences to the man’s famil.

Torres also noted that black bows had been tied to the city’s town hall flags as a mark of respect and mourning.

As Gawker points out, a ban on bullfighting went into effect in Catalonia on January 1, but a handful of traditional events, including “correbous,” were made exempt from the new law.

As recently as September, animal rights activists in Spain protested the bizarre exemptions, adding that banning one act while enshrining the other in law was hypocrisy.

What are your thoughts on the recent fatal bull goring? Does it only prove the point that all such festivals involving animal cruelty should be banned?

To see a video clip of the flaming-horned bull festivities for yourself, watch below (Skip to 1:30):

Image:Paquirri.org