The infamous Running of the Bulls returned to Pamplona, Spain, on Thursday after a two-year pause, and the bloodbath has already begun. So far, half a dozen runners—including a teenage girl who lost part of her finger and a man who fractured his arm—were reportedly hospitalized because of their injuries.

According to reports, several runners were stomped, trampled, or shoved to the pavement, and two men were bumped in the head by an animal’s horn.

During #RunningOfTheBulls runners (most of them tourists) chase frightened bulls through the streets of #Pamplona.
Most tourists don’t realise that bullfighters kill six bulls on each of the days of the run
Boycott #SanFermin #BanBullfightingpic.twitter.com/wGarndAsNP

— PETA UK (@PETAUK) July 7, 2022

The ‘Running of the Bulls’ Has Always Been a Bloodbath

It’s par for the course for participants to sustain injuries during the dangerous Running of the Bulls. According to Pamplona officials, hundreds of runners are injured during the treacherous event. In the 2019 Running of the Bulls, eight humans were reportedly gored.

As for the unwilling participants—the bulls who are provoked to charge through the streets lined by screaming crowds—slaughter is guaranteed. After a frantic run, the animals are corralled into the bullring, where they will be slowly slaughtered one by one in front of roaring, taunting crowds.

In a typical bullfight, men on horses (known as picadors) circle a bull and drive lances into his back and neck, twisting and gouging the weapons to ensure significant blood loss. Then, the banderilleros enter on foot and plunge sticks with a harpoon point on the end into the bull’s back before running him in circles to disorient him.

Finally, the matador (literally, “killer”) enters to deliver the final blow to the dying, mutilated animal. The matador uses a long sword to sever the bull’s aorta, and if that doesn’t work, he may use daggers to cut the bull’s spinal cord.

Torture Is Not a Tradition Worth Preserving—Help PETA End the Cruel ‘Running of the Bulls’

PETA entities have been protesting the Running of the Bulls for almost two decades, urging the city to end this cruel, violent spectacle. Leading up to this year’s event, our supporters, clad in inflatable dinosaur costumes, paraded through the streets to send a message that torture and public executions are archaic and barbaric and need to end.

In the last two years, PETA U.K. has also offered nearly €300,000 to Pamplona Mayor Enrique Maya Miranda to permanently end the cruel bull runs and subsequent bullfights.

If you want to help end the torture and slaughter of bulls in Pamplona, send a message to the prime minister of Spain: