Running with the bulls
The excitement mounts as the run starts.
This year the fiesta was marked by the sad death of one young man who was gored by a bull that got separated from the others and fell, bringing the young man down with it. A loose bull is always a danger to the people running with the bulls but although injuries, many serious, are common, this was the first death in 14 years.
The Pamplona bull run is a national spectator event and is carried live by several national TV chanels and, just like a goal being scored in football, incidents between bulls and humans are often shown repeatedly from as many angles as possible.
A very refreshing aspect of the fatality is that, although there have been calls to reduce the number of runners (already admitted as impossible) nobody is calling for a ban on this particular aspect of Spanish fiestas. Because the Pamplona run is the most famous (there are many similar runs in towns throughout Spain) it is very popular with tourists and this year there also seemed to be a much greater interest by women to join the run.
Interviews after the fatality and before subsequent runs simply confirmed that it was the danger that attracted the runners. They were not trying to prove their courage against a ’safe’ adversary, they relished the adrenalin rush and the sheer excitement of facing a simple primordial challenge.
I suppose the people who complain about cruelty to bulls in Spain will ignore the fact that a bull run enables the bulls to become the creatures that they are and gives them the chance to exact a high price for their sacrifice. Something the common herd never enjoys.
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