Standing right at the center of a bullfighting arena in ruins.
I caught this photo in the old bullfighting plaza of Colonia de Sacramento, Uruguay. I found the shadows in the corridor wall interesting.
Bullfighting and animal rights
Bullfighting is banned in many countries; people taking part in such activity would be liable for terms of imprisonment for animal cruelty. "Bloodless" variations, though, are permitted and have attracted a following in California, and France. In Spain, national laws against cruelty to animals have abolished most archaic spectacles of animal cruelty, but specifically exempt bullfighting. Over time, Spanish regulations have reduced the goriness of the fight, but only for the matadors and horses, introducing the padding for picadors' horses and mandating full-fledged operating rooms in the premises. In 2004, the Barcelona city council had a symbolic vote against bullfighting,[6] but bullfighting in Barcelona continues to this day, against the majority of public opinion. It has been estimated that 70% of the attendees at Barcelona's Monumental bullring are tourists.[7] Several other towns in Spain have banned bullfighting.[8]
Bullfighting has been criticized by animal rights activists as a gratuitously cruel blood sport, because they believe that animals should not be tortured, killed or abused for entertainment. The bull suffers severe stress or a slow, painful death. A number of animal rights or animal welfare activist groups undertake anti-bullfighting actions in Spain and other countries. In Spanish, opposition to bullfighting is referred to as antitaurina.
In August 2007, state-run Spanish TV cancelled live coverage of bullfights claiming that the coverage was too violent for children who might be watching, and that live coverage violated a voluntary, industry-wide code attempting to limit "sequences that are particularly crude or brutal."