Bulls, and people who defend them, are celebrating the banning of bullfighting in Spain’s Catalonia region. The last bullfight in the area took place in Barcelona on September 25, ending a bloody and brutal spectacle for Spain’s Northeastern region. After many years of protest and conflict between animal advocates and bullfight supporters, the Catalonia parliament’s July 2010 vote to ban bullfights took effect this week.

Bullfights are not fights at all. They are the torture and killing of a wounded, frightened, and psychologically tormented animal. Those who are so inclined can search for bullfight videos on the internet to see for yourself, but we don’t recommend it.

The Canary Islands banned bullfighting in 1991. IDA congratulates Catalonia on its compassionate new law and we hope that the rest of Spain, neighboring Portugal, Mexico and France will follow suit.