Spain's bullfighters ask for govt aid amid pandemic

Bull breeders in Spain are worried that mounting financial losses amid the coronavirus pandemic might finish off the bullfighting industry, while animal rights activist call for an end to the controversial tradition.

Martin keeps 70 to 80 bulls ready for bullfights in Spain and southern France at his almost 1,600-hectare (4,000-acre) ranch.

Aside from the economic impact, he worries that his majestic creatures, at four years old, will soon no longer be able to fight in the ring.

Right now, they are the perfect age for bullfights, but within approximately 12 months, they will have to be slaughtered for meat and other products, at great loss for the breeders.

The bullfight in Spain is a highly divisive issue, and attendance at fights has been diminishing for many years.

The Animalist Party Against Mistreatment of Animals (PACMA) said they hoped the current situation would herald the end of bullfighting altogether.

PACMA president Laura Duarte said the activity was "violent" and "terminates the lives of tens of thousands of animals every year in our country".

For Duarte, the activity should be halted independently of the pandemic's impact in hard-hit Spain.

According to the John Hopkins University, Spain has recorded over 213,000 coronavirus cases and more than 22,000 deaths.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.