A retired bullfighter was killed by a bull on Friday (3) while preparing animals for a bullfight in an arena in Malaga, southern Spain, organizers said.
Ricardo Ortiz was handling the bulls in their enclosures in La Malagueta, a historic bullring in Málaga, when one of the animals gored him, according to Lances de Futuro, the company responsible for organizing the bullfight.
“We want to express our deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the deceased, a much loved and respected person in the bullfighting world,” the company said in a statement.
Ortiz’s death occurred one day before a , in which three bullfighters will face six bulls, was scheduled to take place in the arena.
Ortiz, born in Malaga in 1974, was from a family of bullfighters and had a successful career, Spanish newspaper El País reported.
Bullfighting and bullfighting, both emblematic of stereotypical Spanish culture, have become increasingly controversial in recent years, at the center of a culture war and the target of criticism from animal rights groups.
Between 2010 and 2023, the number of bullfighting festivals in Spain fell by a third, according to Reuters.
In other parts of the world, the practice is also in decline. A , after which only seven countries in the world will continue to hold these events. Mexico City reformulated the tradition last year, after the local congress approved a measure to make bullfights less harmful to both bulls and bullfighters, prohibiting the use of spears and swords to attack the animals.
