Spain’s Leading Matador Gets One Up the Buttocks to The Delight of Expats on the Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca

Spain’s leading matador, Enrique Ponce, has been gored by a bull during his latest fight in the Puerto de Santa Baria bullring. The bull got his revenge and managed to stab Ponce in the buttocks, much to the delight of ex-pats on the Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca.
This bullfight was his first since the lockdown and it will definitely be one that he won’t forget. Local news sources claim it was only a scare for the matador, who at one point, even had to lay face down and protect his head from the bull. There were not many people in the stands which, according to Animal Rights activists, shows that the ‘tradition’ is very much dead in contemporary society.
Although this was just a scare for Ponce, ex-pats on the Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca are fiercely against this Spanish ‘tradition’. Mia Bintley an animal lover from Liverpool who has lived in Costa Blanca for over 15 years had her say on the matter: “I have lived here for over 15 years and not once have I stepped foot in a bullring. I am completely against it. I love everything about Spain, but this needs to stop – It’s barbaric! The fact that no-one was even there to watch the bloody thing says all you need to know”.
Another ex-pat, Melissa Romney, recently made the move to the Costa del Sol after spending the majority of her life in Manchester. Romney is an animal activist in all ways of life but since moving to Spain she has actively campaigned against bullfighting. “I like speaking to the locals about it and getting their view on things. They all hate it! If the locals are ashamed of bullfighting, then why is Spain still entertaining this? It makes them look bad; nobody should be killing animals for entertainment in 2020. Times have changed”.
Animal rights activists are not only worried about the bull during these fights, but the horses that are used also suffer deeply. It is typical for the horses used during bullfighting to have their vocal cords cut. This is done so that their cries of fear cannot be heard during the confrontation with the bull.
Bullfighting in general is losing the interest of the Spanish public. It is another sector that has been badly affected by the lockdown and now it is desperately trying to get some cash pumped into the industry from the government. The industry receives money from the national and local governments as well as sizeable donations from private investors. If one thing is for sure it’s that bullfighting has no support amongst the ex-pat community and that they won’t be receiving a penny from them.