Animal rights party denounces cruelty against calf in Valmojado

There are over 300 Spanish cities that lock calves in a bullring during local fiestas for residents to amuse themselves goading, prodding, and ultimately killing the animal, according to Spanish animal rights political party PACMA.

In the latest video released by the group documenting this kind of celebration, a calf is seen dying at the hands of inhabitants of the town Valmojado, in the province of Toledo. The PACMA members who recorded the video describe it as one of the cruelest they’ve seen.

“Young little calves that barely even have horns, no bigger than a mastiff, were attacked, stabbed, run through, and finished off by the residents,” the party says.

The Valmojado local government, however, has released a statement defending its residents against the insults they have received in the wake of the video, insisting that the calves form part of a “serious tradition” of the community.

PACMA has organized a protest in Madrid on September 10 to denounce all of Spain’s bullfighting festivals. “We’re reclaiming the date of the Toro de la Vega,” says the party spokesperson, in reference to a bull-hunting festival held in the town of Tordesillas that dates back to medieval times. “It’s symbolic for us.”

English version by Allison Light.