Madrid may consider regional bullfighting ban

Jul 20, 2010, 13:31 GMT

Madrid - The Madrid regional parliament may consider a bullfighting ban, animal rights activists said Tuesday.

The regional parliament agreed to discuss the possibility of including the initiative, launched by animal rights activists, on its agenda.

'We are asking our politicians to allow at least a debate, as has happened in (the north-eastern region of) Catalonia,' said Nacho Paunero from the animal rights association El Refugio, which collected 50,000 signatures to back the initiative.

The Catalan parliament will hold a final debate on an eventual regional bullfighting ban on July 28.

Catalonia's plans to outlaw bullfights sparked criticism in Madrid, where conservative regional Prime Minister Esperanza Aguirre proposed declaring bullfights a part of the region's cultural heritage.

Animal rights groups responded by proposing a ban on the spectacle, which they regard as animal torture.

More than 10,000 bulls are killed annually in Spanish bullfights. Catalonia has closed nearly all its bullrings, while bullfighting remains more popular in the Madrid region.