Ban on Bullfighting is on Rafael Correa’s Agenda

On May 7, Ecuadorians will be asked to vote on a referendum that could make it illegal to kill animals for entertainment.

The 10 point referendum could give the executive branch more control over the judicial; it would also create a commission to regulate content in the media as well as restrain media conglomerates and media institution by banning them from holding investments in other industries.

Correa has begun an aggressive campaign for a nation-wide “Yes” vote in what is perceived as a referendum on his 5 year old administration; despite having alienated some business sectors with his center-left policies, and his closeness to Venezuelan Leader Chávez, Correa is a popular figure in Ecuador, and it is expected to garner a positive response from voters in most points of the referendum.

On the issue of Bullfighting however, Correa could hit a brick wall since supporters of bullfighting are many, and see the vote as an intrusion on personal liberties.

Bullfighting is largely practiced in the highlands of Ecuador and is seen as entertainment for wealthy people. Ecuador’s prime bullfighting sites — including Ambato and an annual festival in Quito — draw tens of thousands of tourists.

Last February, about 15,000 people attended an event in Quito called “Bulls and Cocks for Freedom.”  The union indicates there are more than 97,000 families that make a living directly or indirectly from Ecuador’s bullfighting industry.

“There’s not a single difference between a cockfight and a bullfight,” he said. “If the cock doesn’t die in a fight, it’s simply bad luck for you as a spectator and a bettor.”

Government officials has tried to placate the anger of bullfighting fans by saying they are welcome to have bullfights if the animal is not killed.

In Spain, where bullfighting was born, the province of Cataluña outlawed bullfighting in 2010. In Colombia, right next to Ecuador, legislators have pushed for (unsuccessfully) to make the spectacle illegal.

“Bullfighting is part of who we are in Ecuador and a part of how we look at life,” said Juan Patricio Espinosa, in charge of organizing some of the country’s most important bullfighting events. “People don’t go to bullfights to watch an animal die, it has a deeper significance. A rose is beautiful because man has decided it’s beautiful. In the same way, the bull’s death has a greater meaning.”

For Diego Rivas, who started bullfighting at age 16, and since then has been gored in the shoulder, knocked to the dirt by enormous bulls and trampled with no mercy, the referendum is a direct threat for his job, the only thing he knows how to do: taunt bulls and be a Matador. “A lot of people study professions that they never get to practice,” he said. “I’ve worked my whole life to get to where I am and to be able to make a living. I would just ask the country not to take this away from me.”

Published in Notitas de Noticias

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