‘Too Shocking for TV’? PETA Latino’s Bullfighting PSA Is Rejected, yet Bull Torture Remains Televised
Ahead of Mexico City’s last bullfight of the season, PETA Latino attempted to air a public service announcement (PSA) urging viewers to reject the gruesome violence inflicted on bulls in the bullring but was rebuffed by TelevisaUnivision and TV Azteca—even though both stations broadcast bullfighting content.
The PSA features footage from real bullfights played in reverse to show how bulls suffer through every stage of the ritualized executions, as humans drive lances and banderillas into the animals before the matador attempts to kill them by severing their aorta or spinal cord with a sword. The footage then cuts to an unharmed bull standing peacefully in a pasture—before fast-forwarding through his short life, which ends with him being dismembered as he’s dragged from an arena.
The appeal concludes, “Every bull has a past. Choose compassion in the present. Say no to bullfighting.”
Alicia Aguayo, an associate director at PETA Latino, has had more than enough of the hypocrisy:
“It’s very telling that while these broadcasting giants were showing bulls being taunted, tormented, and stabbed to death on their airwaves, they wouldn’t accept PETA Latino’s money to air an ad with the same type of content, calling for an end to the bloodbaths.”
Like humans, bulls are living, feeling beings with personalities. They’re smart animals with excellent memories. They develop friendships over time and sometimes hold grudges against others who treat them badly. And they’re not the only ones with a grudge—PETA Latino will continue to do everything it can to oppose these cruel spectacles until officials heed the by permanently ending them.
Bullfighting’s Days Are Numbered
In Mexico, 59% of people oppose bullfighting and 73% consider bullfights to be cruelty to animals.
As international opposition to bullfighting continues to grow, the practice has also been banned in the Mexican states of Coahuila, Guerrero, Quintana Roo, Sinaloa, and Sonora and severely restricted in Bogotá, Colombia.
PETA Latino’s joint push with over 800 animal protection groups from around the world led Movistar Plus+—a major streaming platform in Latin America and Spain—to announce that it would no longer air bullfights on its Toros channel.
Change is coming, and TelevisaUnivision and TV Azteca are clearly unprepared for the day when bullfights are no more.
Bulls Need Your Help
Please promise never to attend or support bullfights or other events that promote cruelty to animals.
Please also spread the word about the cruelty of bullfighting by sharing the PSA on social media.
