What is worse, fox hunting or bull fighting?
I have written before about the time I became disillusioned with bull fighting.
Over the years, I have been in discussions with people about this subject and occasionally the subject of fox hunting was raised in defense of bull fighting.
Accusations of the British being hypocrites because they supported fox hunting.
I admit that both sports are cruel. However, not all British people are in favour of foxhunting. There are a few who were in favour of it, some who are vehemently opposed, and some like me, an ex-townie, who have no strong views either way.
And I am sure there are many Spanish people who fall into all three categories. But (and there is always a but) there is a subtle difference between fox hunting and bullfighting.
Foxes are a pest; some will say they are vermin. They can cause a great deal of damage to the livestock in poultry farms.
There have been recent reports of them attacking children and babies in London, of all places.
I live in a semi-rural area and have been visited by foxes.
In one incident, a vixen squatted on my lawn and urinated, while cheekily staring at me while I was in the kitchen doing the washing up.
By the time I put on my scarlet coat, leapt on my hunter and gathered my pack of hounds, she had gone, leaving a nasty patch on my lawn.
On another occasion, I discovered the corpse of a cockerel, minus head and half its breast gone. So, I can guarantee they are pests.
Although they may be considered pests or vermin, they are wild animals and usually only kill for food.
Bulls, on the other hand, are bred in captivity, purely to fight and die in the bullring.
Once a bull enters the ring, he is going to die, there is no chance of him escaping.
A fox, on the other hand, has a chance of escaping death. I do not know what percentage of foxes escape the hounds, but some do live to run another day. Not so the bulls.
Both sports are colourful and spectacular to observe, and both have some traditional roots in their communities.
I have never seen a fox killed by hounds, but I have seen several bulls killed.
I did not call for the banning of bullfights, I just registered my sense of injustice of the contest.
Fox hunting was banned in this country in 2004.
I believe bull fighting is still legal in Spain.
More stories from me.
When I Started to Hate Bullfighting
