What happens in a bullfight?

 Today, I looked into the process of a bullfight and what actually occurs. The source I used was CBBC Newsround: (http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/find_out/guides/animals/bullfighting/newsid_3659000/3659770.stm)

This source is reliable because it is a factual page meant to teach people about the sport of bullfighting. It is aimed at younger audiences however, so the “gruesome” details are perhaps slightly limited.

"The main characters in a bullfight are Cavaleros, Matadors and Picadors. The Horse men target the bulls with spears and darts tipped in what looks like brightly coloured tinsel. The cavaleros are the stars of the show and are applauded as they dodge the bulls charges. Next come matadores who use a coloured cape called a muleta, to direct the bulls around the ring." The source also states that the matadores have the most important job, as they finish the fight by killing the bull.

The bullfight is more of a spectacle than a sport; the whole "fight" is a procession of acts that are meant to incapacitate the bull. A "fight" would insinuate an equal opportunity for winning, however that is not the case as the bull doesn't stand a chance. 

I found another source that builds on this understanding:

"Then the animal's carcass is dragged from the ring, usually by mules or horses. Later, the bull goes to a butcher to process its meat with some restaurants, like Madrid's Casa Toribio, specializing in carne de toro de lidia, or meat from a bull killed in a fight, reported NPR". This makes it seem like there is a point to the violence that occurs.  

(Grunge, 2021, https://www.grunge.com/321396/what-really-happens-at-a-bullfight/, accessed 29th Oct 2021)

A total of 2,218 bullfights were staged in 2008, according to government figures, but in 2018, the most recent figures available, that number had fallen to 1,521. A significant chunk of Spanish society is indifferent to bullfighting, while not in favor of a ban. Soccer remains far more popular. 

(https://theworld.org/stories/2020-09-09/bullfighting-has-reached-crisis-point-spain)

Sources Evaluation: 

I want to research further into the different Acts that occur during the bullfight so that I can understand the details, as these websites were slightly limited in the information they had to offer. This could be because CBBC it is aimed at a younger audience, and the others are atricles rather than academic dissertations. 




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