It was supposed to be one of the most anticipated days of the April Feria, but at the Real Maestranza in Seville time stopped in a few seconds. The famous bullfighter Morante de la Puebla was knocked over by the fourth bull during the bullfight on Monday in Alumbrado, transforming the show into a moment of pure terror.
The matador lost his balance while trying to control the animal with his cape. In an instant the bull landed the blow: a violent and precise butt, which hit him in the back of the thigh, just below the buttock. The bullfighter collapsed to the ground, motionless, while an eerie silence fell on the stands.
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A very serious wound: the details of the medical bulletin
The initial information left little room for optimism. The wound, about 10 centimeters long, had a deep and devastating trajectory. The medical report confirmed the picture: injury to the anal sphincter and perforation of the rectum of approximately 1.5 centimetres, with complex internal damage.
A trauma of this type requires immediate and delicate interventions. The doctors performed an emergency operation directly in the infirmary of the plaza, proceeding with wound cleaning, reconstruction of the damaged structures and deep drainage to avoid complications.
After the first operation, Morante de la Puebla was transferred to a hospital in Seville, where he is currently hospitalized. His condition is described as serious but stable. The post-operative course will be crucial to understand the recovery times and any permanent consequences.
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A “show” that must end
What happened to Morante de la Puebla at Real Maestranza in Seville is not just an accident. It is the direct result of a show that, in order to exist, is based on the violent confrontation between man and animal. And here we need to say it clearly: bullfights are not tradition, they are organized suffering.
On the one hand there is a bull pushed, wounded, progressively weakened to the point of exhaustion. On the other, a man who puts his life at risk in a ritual that is still defined as “art”. But when the price is the pain – and often the death – of one of the two, or both, it is legitimate to ask whether that boundary has not already been crossed some time ago.
The goring in Seville, with a devastating wound and potentially permanent consequences, brutally shows what we often try not to see: bullfighting is dangerous for everyone, not just the animal. There is no absolute control, there is no safety in an arena where unpredictability is part of the show.
Yet, the focus is not just human risk. It is above all the normalization of violence. Transforming suffering into entertainment, applauding while an animal is brought to its limits, means accepting a logic that today appears increasingly distant from contemporary sensitivity.
Being against bullfights is not an extreme position. It’s an awareness. It is recognizing that some traditions, however deep-rooted, can and must be questioned when they conflict with fundamental values such as respect for life. Because a society is also measured by what it chooses to no longer consider entertainment.
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