Thursday, June 12, 2025

January 27, 2016

Photo Of Bullfighter In Ring Holding His Baby Sparks Outrage

Spanish matador Francisco Rivera Ordóñez, dubbed the David Beckham of bullfighting, has landed himself in some hot water for his latest antics.
(FILES) A picture taken on August 12, 2012 shows Spanish matador Francisco "Paquirri" Rivera Ordonez looking at a bull during a bullfight at the Malagueta Bullring in Malaga. The photo of a famous Spanish bullfighter training in the ring while holding his baby daughter created a stir on January 26, 2016, sparking an official complaint by a child protection agency. Francisco "Paquirri" Rivera, who last summer was gored in the groin by a bull but has since recovered, posted the picture on his Instagram account. AFP PHOTO/ JORGE GUERREROJorge Guerrero/AFP/Getty Images

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – bullfighting is an outdated and abhorrent practice that is nothing more than glorified animal abuse.

You know what’s fun? Taunting an animal by stabbing it with a sharp knife and then mocking it in front of a crowd baying for blood. Not for me, thanks very much.

Then there’s Spanish matador Francisco Rivera Ordóñez, dubbed the David Beckham of bullfighting, who shared a photo on his Instagram account that has set tongues wagging. Let’s take a look at the photo first then:

bullfightman

Yep, that is his five-month old daughter in his arms. Yep, that is a bloody wound on the bull’s back caused by a stabbing knife. The translation of the Instagram caption:

“Carmen’s debut. She’s the fifth generation of bullfighters in our family. My granddad was a bullfighter as well as my dad.

“My dad did this with me and I’ve done it with my daughters Cayetana and now with Carmen.”

He then posted this, a throwback to when his father took him out to torture a bull for the first time:

bullfightman2

Reactions were mixed, fellow bullfighters joining ranks to defend him and others sticking the knife in. Below from the Telegraph:

Alfonso Alonso, the acting minister of social security, said: “It isn’t right in any circumstances to put a child at risk.”

Equality minister María José Sánchez was also critical, saying: “A fireman wouldn’t dream of taking a child to put out a fire nor would a football player run around with a child in their arms during a match.”

I’m a big believer in ‘to each their own’, but the wanton abuse of animals for our own entertainment is something I don’t really make allowances for. I don’t care whether your daughter is in your arms or not, none of us should be in the ring goring a bull for sport.

[source:telegraph]