Catalonia’s Last Bullfight

Last Sunday, Barcelona, Spain held the last bullfight in the Catalonia region. The regional legislature approved a ban on the cruel sport in July 2010 after more than 180,000 people signed an anti-bullfight petition. Hundreds of protesters stood outside Barcelona’s La Monumental arena, carrying signs that said “a great day for the bulls.” While six bulls were killed during Sunday’s event, La Monumental was the last arena in Catalonia still featuring bullfights, indicating that the ban has essentially already been adopted as the sport’s season came to an end this month. So far, Catalonia is Spain’s second region to ban bullfighting—the Canary Islands prohibited it in 1991—and animal-rights advocates are hopeful that other regions will follow suit after the ban takes effect in January.