Writhing and snorting in a demonic rage, a burning bull charges out of the darkness as if sent straight from the depths of Hell.
This is not some apocalyptic vision from medieval folklore, but the Spanish festival where live bulls are set on fire and sent to charge about a village's streets for entertainment.
Disturbing new images have emerged of this annual Spanish bull burning festival which animal rights campaigners are demanding be banned.
There were some ugly scenes too among the crowds as animal rights activists clashed with police in a desperate bid to bring a halt to the perceived barbarity.
The Joy of the Bull - or Toro Jubilo festival - is one of the 'cultural' highlights of the entertainment calendar for residents in the Medieval village of Medinaceli, in the province of Soria, north east of Madrid.
Every year, from around four centuries, people flock to watch a young bull be dragged into a makeshift ring before its body is covered with mud to protect it from burns.
Then it is pinned to the floor, while men strap wooden stakes doused in flammable chemicals to its horns, and set it on fire. Then local men show their bravery by tormenting the animal.
More than 1,500 people crowded behind barriers and strained for a view of the cruel spectacle.
A bullring is constructed in the main square and sand scattered on the floor before several bonfires are built in preparation for the arrival of the bull.
After nightfall, the fires were lit using paraffin and the three-year-old bull was dragged in on a rope held by many men dressed in grey uniforms.
It is tied to a post by its horns and a plank of wood attached to a metal bar doused in pitch - a highly combustible mixture of turpentine and sulphur.
Fiercely hot sparks and embers drip from the burning torches onto the bewildered animal.
The distressed bull is then released, thrashing around the ring to the cheers of the crowds.
Members of the public are seen jumping into the ring and taunting the bull - adding to its terror and confusion.
Gasping for air, the bull finally reaches a state of exhaustion after nearly 45 minutes of torment and is soon dragged out the ring by villagers to be butchered.
The men in the grey uniforms are awarded pieces of meat from the animal for their 'bravery'.
Authorities in the Spanish regions of Leon and Castile have designated the festival a special cultural status.
This is not some apocalyptic vision from medieval folklore, but the Spanish festival where live bulls are set on fire and sent to charge about a village's streets for entertainment.
Disturbing new images have emerged of this annual Spanish bull burning festival which animal rights campaigners are demanding be banned.
There were some ugly scenes too among the crowds as animal rights activists clashed with police in a desperate bid to bring a halt to the perceived barbarity.
The Joy of the Bull - or Toro Jubilo festival - is one of the 'cultural' highlights of the entertainment calendar for residents in the Medieval village of Medinaceli, in the province of Soria, north east of Madrid.
Every year, from around four centuries, people flock to watch a young bull be dragged into a makeshift ring before its body is covered with mud to protect it from burns.
Then it is pinned to the floor, while men strap wooden stakes doused in flammable chemicals to its horns, and set it on fire. Then local men show their bravery by tormenting the animal.
More than 1,500 people crowded behind barriers and strained for a view of the cruel spectacle.
A bullring is constructed in the main square and sand scattered on the floor before several bonfires are built in preparation for the arrival of the bull.
After nightfall, the fires were lit using paraffin and the three-year-old bull was dragged in on a rope held by many men dressed in grey uniforms.
It is tied to a post by its horns and a plank of wood attached to a metal bar doused in pitch - a highly combustible mixture of turpentine and sulphur.
Fiercely hot sparks and embers drip from the burning torches onto the bewildered animal.
The distressed bull is then released, thrashing around the ring to the cheers of the crowds.
Members of the public are seen jumping into the ring and taunting the bull - adding to its terror and confusion.
Gasping for air, the bull finally reaches a state of exhaustion after nearly 45 minutes of torment and is soon dragged out the ring by villagers to be butchered.
The men in the grey uniforms are awarded pieces of meat from the animal for their 'bravery'.
Authorities in the Spanish regions of Leon and Castile have designated the festival a special cultural status.
Music : Enter the Maze by Kevin MacLeod
Source : DailyMail
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