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During the Bous a la Mar-festival in Dénia, Valencia, a bull drowned. At this bull festival, bulls are forced to jump into the sea – animals that are not used to swim. CAS International and AnimaNaturalis documented the Bous a la Mar bull festival in Dénia last July 8. Unfortunately, this event involving bulls is…
The fiestas of San Fermin in the Spanish city of Pamplona have ended. This year with 60 dead bulls who died a horrible death in a bullfight. For eight days, bull runs took place with six bulls, that were killed later that day in the evening. A total of 48 bulls who started the day…
On Sunday 11 June, CAS will be celebrating its 30th anniversary! And what a lot has happened in these past 30 years. We have achieved many successes and have seen how the bullfighting sector lost more and more support from society and politicians. Meanwhile, the majority of the population in all bullfighting countries is against…
A bull died in after a serious fall in Ontinyent (Valencia, Spain) on April 29. The animal, named Vicioso, fell onto a riverbed during a bull festival. The depth of the fall was 15 meters. CAS and AnimaNaturalis filed charges against the organizers of the bull festival: the accident could have been prevented. Vicioso –…
In April and May, CAS and AnimaNaturalis protested against bullfights in the Spanish cities of Seville and Madrid. A total of 300 bulls are killed: 90 in Sevilla, and 210 in Madrid. At both protests, activists lay on the ground, on a capote. The capote is an important part of the bullfight: it is a…
CAS International and AnimaNaturalis are bringing out cruelties of hunting with dogs in Spain. It specifically involves the so-called “monterías”, in which groups of dogs hunt, attack and kill large animals such as boar and deer. This activity is banned in most European countries. We conducted research during 11 monterías in Spain between 2021 and…
On March 12, CAS International and AnimaNaturalis protested against bullfights in the Spanish city of Valencia. These were held during Fallas, a traditional festival that takes place annually in Valencia. Protest in Valencia against bullfighting | @ CAS International/AnimaNaturalis The protest was held in front of the city hall of Valencia. Activists were lying on the…
A report filed by CAS International and AnimaNaturalis has resulted in a sanction for the municipality of l’Aldea (Catalonia, Spain). We filed a charge about the use of an animal that did not comply with the regulations on bull festivals (correbous) in the state. This is a serious violation of the law. At this moment…
The Spanish Congress passed the first national animal protection law on 16 March. A historic moment for Spain. The law is a needed step for many animals, but unfortunately bulls from the bullfighting industry and hunting dogs are excluded from protection by the law. When initial negotiations for the new animal protection law started, it…
The number of bull festivals in Catalonia has increased by seven percent compared to 2019. There were 29 more bull festivals in 2022, in total 469. From CAS International and AnimaNaturalis, we filed charges against the organizers of five festivals with bulls in 2022 for animal cruelty and non-compliance with the regulations on bull festivals….
Two children participated in a festival with fire bulls in the autonomous region of Valencia, Spain. CAS International and AnimaNaturalis filed charges against this. As a result, the organizers of the festival and the children’s parents were fined. Indeed, the participation of minors under 16 in bull festivals is prohibited in Valencia. The event took…
We have great news to share with you! CAS is now a member of Eurogroup for Animals. This pan-European advocacy organisation has been lobbying for good animal welfare legislation within the European Union for over 40 years. 85 European organisations working for animal welfare are members of Eurogroup for Animals. From CAS, we will cooperate…
The Spanish Congress approved the first national animal welfare law on 9 February. A great step for many animals, but unfortunately bulls from the bullfighting sector and hunting dogs were not included in this law. We knew from the beginning that bulls would not be included in the law. We knew that any animal welfare…
US news platform Insider News has released a documentary on bullfighting featuring CAS International. In the documentary, our director Maite van Gerwen talks about our rescued fire bull Polvorín. Insider News interviewed CAS last December about bullfighting and our adoption bulls and cows. During the interview, we informed Insider about, among other things, what bullfighting…
Tens of thousands of people protested against hunting with dogs in 45 Spanish and other 18 European cities last Sunday. CAS International and AnimaNaturalis participated in several cities: Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante, Palma de Mallorca, Logroño and Zaragoza. The protests are taking place just days before the Spanish congress votes on the new animal welfare law….
World Galgo Day (1 February) marks the end of hare hunting in Spain. It is the beginning of an uncertain future for many hunting dogs. They will then be dumped and/or killed en masse when they are no longer suitable for hunting. More than 50,000 galgos, podencos and other dogs are affected. Spanish legislation hardly…
There will be no bullfights during the 2022-2023 bullfighting season in Mexico City! The world’s largest arena remains free of animal suffering for now. This is because the court has decided to suspend the bullfights. A legal investigation is underway into whether bullfighting violates the right to a healthy environment. The managers of the Plaza…
At the end of November, Marius Kolff stepped down as director of the CAS International to enjoy his well-deserved retirement. For almost 17 years, he was director of CAS and devoted his heart and soul to the bulls, cows, horses, greyhounds and all other animals suffering under the guise of cultural events. He has been…
Recently, five bulls arrived dead at Lima airport. The animals flew on an Air Europa flight lasting at least 12 hours. One of the aspects of the bullfighting sector that is usually hidden from the outside world is the long-distance transports. In fact, bulls for bullfights are regularly flown from Spain to Latin America and…
At the end of November, Marius Kolff said goodbye as director of the CAS International to enjoy his well-deserved retirement. In this article, written on his behalf, he looks back on a period of almost 17 years as director, during which he has meant a lot to CAS and the International Network against Bullfighting. Shortly…
During the anti-bullfighting summit, the International Network Against Bullfighting received a prestigious Colombian award: Defenzoor del Año 2022 (animal defender of the year). The award ceremony is organised annually by our sister organisation Defenzoores, working particularly in Medellín. The Defenzoor del Año has been awarded for 17 years, including to the Spanish city of Barcelona….
At the beginning of November we held our annual conference against bullfighting, and this time in the most important bullfighting country of Latin America: Mexico. This year’s summit was again a great success and many organizations of the International Network Against Bullfighting traveled to Mexico City. Maite van Gerwen, director of CAS: “It was very…
At the controversial fire bull festival ‘Toro Jubilo’ in Medinaceli, Spain, the fire bull collapsed from exhaustion. From start to finish, the event lasted 48 minutes. The same night, the bull died of a brain haemorrhage, possibly after colliding with an ox. CAS International and AnimaNaturalis took undercover footage and recorded various abuses. They are…
On Monday 7 November, CAS International, AnimaNaturalis and Despacho Va por sus Derechos protested at SENASICA, Mexico’s Food Safety Agency. We asked SENASICA to fine the bullfighting sector. The slaughter of fighting bulls in bullfights has been taking place illegally for 15 years. Our lawyers in Mexico recently discovered that the slaughter of fighting bulls…
The Spanish Council of Ministers has approved the proposal for the new National Animal Protection Law. An important step, since Spain does not yet have a national law regulating animal welfare. Every state has its own animal protection law, so there is no unity in the treatment of animals and the punishment for animal abuse….
CAS International and AnimaNaturalis recently filmed the bull festival ‘Bull to de Sea’ (Bous a la Mar) in Spain. For the past two years, fewer bull festivals have taken place in the southern European country due to covid-19 restrictions. However, this year the bull festivals return without restrictions. Therefore, we can once again take new…
CAS International and AnimaNaturalis have recently filmed several cruel fire bull festivals in Catalonia and Valencia. In the past two years, there were fewer bull festivals in Spain because of the measures against Covid-19. However, this year the bull festivals return without restrictions. Therefore, we can make new images of these events and show them…
The bullfighting sector deals with another blow in a short time. Last week, a judge decided to indefinitely stop bullfighting in Mexico City. And now the Supreme Court of Mexico has declared that bullfighting and cockfighting are not cultural heritage. Cultural Heritage In 2019, the state of Nayarit declared bullfighting to be cultural heritage. Cockfighting,…
A judge in Mexico City has suspended bullfighting indefinitely. This has happened as a result of a charges from a Mexican citizens’ association. It claims that bullfighting violates the right to a healthy environment. The Justice Department is now going to look into this case. Until then, there will be no bullfights in the Mexican…
In the municipality of San Fernando de Henares, near the Spanish capital Madrid, the cruel bull festivals returned after almost 10 years of absence. CAS International and AnimaNaturalis protested against this. The mayor of San Fernando de Henares announced the return of the running of the bulls and recortadores this year. In the running of…
Good news from Spain, because the Spanish newspaper El País stops its section on bullfighting. An important moment for journalism in Spain, because El País is the most read newspaper in Spain and the one with the highest circulation. Because of this, many people will no longer be confronted with positive coverage of bullfighting. This…
In Seville and Madrid, bloody bullfights have resumed, due to the start of the bullfighting season. CAS International and AnimaNaturalis protested against bullfighting in both cities. Sevilla On April 24, we protested in the southern Spanish city of Seville. That is when the famous and exuberant April Fair took place. Unfortunately, bullfights are held during…
The Catalan political parties En Comú Podem and the CUP have reached an agreement to pass a change in the law regulating popular festivals with bulls in Catalonia. The aim of the agreement is to ban the three most cruel bull festivals in Catalonia: toro embolado, toro ensogado and toro en la playa. AnimaNaturalis and…
After two years of pandemics, bullfighting took place again in March in the Spanish city of Valencia. CAS International and AnimaNaturalis protested against the bloody event. The bullfights were held during the Fallas, a traditional feast that is held every year in Valencia. On 13 March, CAS and AnimaNaturalis protested near the bullring of Valencia….
Vital links between animal welfare and the environmental crises will be formally recognised for the first time at a global level, after the adoption of an historic resolution today (2nd March), at the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA 5). At the fifth session of UNEA, in Nairobi, Kenya, a crucial resolution was passed that will…
Good news from Spain! The Council of Ministers has approved the preliminary draft of the new Animal Protection Law. It hardly distinguishes between dogs and hunting dogs, which means that galgos, podencos and other hunting dogs will be covered by the protection of the law. However, the bill may still change. Later in the year,…
In Spain a man has been sentenced for mistreating nine hunting dogs. CAS International and AnimaNaturalis reported this case of animal maltreatment. The man was fined 600 euros and banned from owning dogs for a year. Fortunately, the dogs were rescued and will soon be taken care of by a rescue centre. A new home…
A survey by the Spanish foundation Fundación BBVA has shown that 54 percent of Spaniards believe that animals and humans have the same right to live. In addition, eighty percent are against the use of animals for bullfighting, hunting and circuses with animals. Spaniards actually have a big heart for animals. CAS International knew that…
Good news from France. The French branch of Mercedes Benz has decided to distance itself from the bloody bullfights. This is a very important step in our fight against bullfighting, because this cruel sector is more and more dependent on subsidies and sponsoring from companies in order to survive. Due to the declining interest from…
As of Wednesday, January 5, animals are considered sentient beings by Spanish law. The new law applies to all animals. What does this mean in practice for bulls intended for bullfighting and hunting dogs such as galgos and podencos? In December 2021, the Spanish Congress of Deputies approved the law that considers animals as sentient…
CAS International and AnimaNaturalis announce that the Basque Country spends almost 300,000 euros a year on subsidies for bull festivals. This is the result of an in-depth study we are currently conducting into the 18,000 bull festivals in Spain. As a result of the research results, we ask the authorities of the Basque Country to…
The Ministry of Culture is currently blocking the proposal for a new Animal Welfare Law in Spain. The hunting sector is not satisfied with the measures applicable to hunting dogs. Some points of the new law are intended to combat the abandonment of dogs. Every year, more than 50,000 galgos, podencos and other hunting dogs…
At the controversial ‘Toro Jubilo’ fire bull festival in Medinaceli, Spain, the horns of bull Barquillero were set on fire. Only after more than an hour was the flammable material on the horns extinguished. CAS International and AnimaNaturalis took undercover footage of the event. On Saturday night, November 13, the originally medieval event Toro Jubilo…
Senator Carles Mulet has asked the Spanish government questions about the situation of hunting dogs like galgos (greyhounds) and podencos in the country. Among other things, he asked what actions are being taken to protect these hunting dogs from mistreatment. Galgos are used for both hunting and racing. Furthermore, it is estimated that some 50,000…
Portugal bans access of minors under 16 to bullfights 21 October 2021 @Peru Antitaurino Portugal has taken a historic step in protecting minors from the violence of bullfighting: minors under 16 are no longer allowed to attend the bloody spectacles. With this ban, the southern European country follows the request of the United Nations to […]
Escaped bull beaten to death in Spain 11 August 2021 CAS International and AnimaNaturalis are reporting the beating to death of the Campanito bull in the municipality of Brihuega (Guadalajara). The animal escaped during an event after which he wandered through the streets. Afterwards, the bull was run over by a car and beaten to […]
EU commission makes a big step for farmed animals, committing to ban cages 30 June 2021 Pixabay Today, 30 June 2021, the European Commission made a historic commitment to phase out cages in animal farming across the EU. It plans to prohibit cages for hens, mother pigs, calves, rabbits, ducks, geese and other farmed animals, looking at […]
La Rioja spends 900,000 euros a year on feasts with bulls 9 March 2021 CAS International and AnimaNaturalis announce that the Spanish autonomous region of La Rioja spends 900,000 euros annually on subsidies for cruel events with bulls. This information has been obtained thanks to an in-depth investigation we are currently conducting of the 18,000 cruel feasts with […]
Protests against bullfighting in Valencia and Logroño 30 September 2020 @Roland Bos In the weekend of 12 and 13 September, CAS International and AnimaNaturalis organized two protests in the Spanish cities of Valencia and Logroño. During these protests, we asked the government to not provide financial support to the bullfighting sector. Due to the coronavirus […]
The bullring of Acho in Lima will no longer be used for bullfights 10 September 2020 FOTOGRAFIA MML The city council of the Peruvian capital Lima has decided to no longer use bullring Acho for bullfights. In the future, all buildings owned by the municipality of Lima will no longer be used for cruel spectacles […]
Possible end of traditional bullfighting in Bogota 22 July 2020 The city council of the Colombian capital Bogota approved a project that aims to end traditional bullfighting. This means that the killing and injuring of bulls is not allowed, as is the use of public funds to subsidize the bullfights. This does not mean that […]
CAS International distances itself from the actions of Peter Janssen 30 June 2020 Pixabay It is reported in the Spanish press that Peter Janssen, also known as the Vegan Streaker, set several trucks on fire. The trucks belong to Tomassen Duck-To, owner of several duck farms in The Netherlands. In Spanish media is also stated […]
No bailout for bullfighting! 23 April 2020 No bailout for bullfighting! Every year, almost 10,000 bulls die after being tortured in the bullrings, and thousands more, along with cows and heifers, are harassed and mistreated in towns throughout Spain. But now, in full alarm, all the festivities scheduled for March, April and May have been […]
Running of the bulls of Pamplona canceled due to corona crisis 21 April 2020 The running of the bulls of Pamplona 2020 is canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak. The Feria de San Isidro in Madrid has also been canceled. This is a festival that takes place in the spring and in which several bullfights […]
Bullring Lima becomes a shelter for the homeless during corona crisis 9 April 2020 The coronavirus outbreak is causing many sad events and concerns about the future. But there are also positive developments to report. The bullfighting sector has been hard hit by Covid-19. In Spain, France and Portugal, for example, 90 cruel events with […]
Portugal increases VAT on bullfighting from 6% to 23% 20 February 2020 The Parliament of Portugal decided to increase the VAT on bullfighting from 6% to 23%. The decision was taken following the vote on the state budget of 2020. CAS International considers this news to be a very positive development because the increase of […]
Spain gets a Directorate-General for Animal Protection 22 January 2020 Facebook page Sergio García Torres The Spanish government is creating a directorate-general for animal protection. With this, the Spanish government is taking a historic step towards better animal protection in the country. The new director is Sergio García Torres, from the PODEMOS coalition party. CAS […]
Stop the cruel blood feasts with bulls in Spain 6 November 2019 CAS International and AnimaNaturalis started a campaign to stop the cruel blood fiestas in Spain. We are conducting the largest and deepest investigation of the more than 18,000 cruel fiestas with animals that year after year are held in Spain, and that unfortunately […]
CAS International in Colombia for prestigious award ceremony 24 September 2019 Marius Kolff, director of CAS International, recently traveled to the Colombian city of Medellín to be present at the prestigious award ceremony Defenzoor del Año 2019 (animal defender of the year). Every year the award ceremony takes place, organized by our sister organization Defenzoores […]
20th March for Animal Rights in Lisbon 17 April 2019 Marius Kolff and Vasco Reis in Lisbon Also this year CAS was present at the march for animal rights in Lisbon. This was the 20th time this march took place. The march was organized by Rita Silva of our Portuguese sister organization ANIMAL. Marius Kolff, […]
Balearic law against bullfighting declared unconstitutional 9 January 2019 Pixabay The Balearic law against bullfighting was declared unconstitutional. The Spanish Constitutional Court asserted that several articles of the law in the Spanish state of the Balearic Islands are unconstitutional. The law consists of various elements that prohibit acts such as the killing and wounding of […]
Fire bull Valencia remains banned for third year in a row 1 August 2018 The city council of the Spanish city of Valencia recently decided to maintain the ban on two cruel feasts with bulls. This happened as a result of attempts by the conservative political party Partido Popular (PP) to lift the ban by […]
More than 50 bulls killed in Pamplona 16 July 2018 The San Fermin festivities in the Spanish city of Pamplona end this year with at least 54 dead bulls that were killed during cruel bullfights. For 8 days, runs with bulls (6 daily) were held in Pamplona. The bulls were killed in the evening. In […]
Protest against running of the bulls of Pamplona in Amsterdam 6 July 2018 On Friday July 6, just a day before the start of the running of the bulls in Pamplona, a protest against the cruel runs was held in the capital of The Netherlands: Amsterdam. During eight days, every morning a bullrun with 6 […]
Protest against bullfighting in Madrid 27 May 2018 On Sunday May 27, CAS International will protest against bullfightng in the Spanish capital of Madrid. The protest ‘Tauromaquia es Violencia’ (Bullfighting is Violence) is part of a campaign of 10 organizations, among others CAS. Its main object is to end all types of events with bulls. We have […]
Minors no longer allowed in bullfights in Ecuador 16 April 2018 Ecuador has banned children of all ages from assisting in bullfights. Until now the entrance of children up to 16 years old to this type of bloody spectacles was forbidden. The age limit to bullfights has now been raised from 16 to 18 years […]
Protest against EU subsidies to bullfighting in The Hague 4 April 2018 On Wednesday April 4 CAS International protested against the European subsidies that end up in the bullfighting sector. The protest took place in The Hague, in front of the Dutch Parliament. Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Anja Hazekamp (Partij voor de Dieren), member of […]
For now no more traditional bullfights in Balearic Islands 28 March 2018 For now no more traditional bullfights will take place in the Balearic Islands, Spain. The Spanish government intended to stop the plans of the Parliament of the Balearic Islands, but this failed. The law that makes it impossible to hold traditional bullfights in […]
Sign petition against European subsidies to bullfighting 19 February 2018 Bullfights are either prohibited in most countries in the European Union, or do not take place any longer. Three countries of the European Union do have bullfights. Spain and Portugal hold bullfights and have no prohibition at all. In France bullfights are prohibited in general, […]
United Nations: No children to bullfights in Spain 12 February 2018 The Committee on the Rights of the Child of the United Nations requests Spain to keep children and young people aged under 18 away from the violence of bullfights. Bullfighting is in violation of the Convention of Children ‘s Rights. Colombia, Ecuador, France, Mexico, […]
Colombian government against bullfighting 24 January 2018 The bullfighting season in Colombia just started. The first bullfight took place in the Colombian capital of Bogota. Until February 18, bullfights will take place here. During the first bullfight not even half of the bullring was filled with public. A few hours before the start of the bullfighting […]
CAS at biggest Holiday Fair of the Netherlands 16 January 2018 CAS International was at the biggest Holiday Fair of the Netherlands, the Vakantiebeurs, to inform people about bullfighting. The fair took place between 9 and 14 of January. Around 105,000 people visited de Vakantiebeurs. A great opportunity for CAS to inform as many visitors […]
Bullfighting comes to an end in Maracaibo, Venezuela 20 December 2017 We have good news! Bullfighting comes to an end in Maracaibo, the capital of the Venezuelan state of Zula. The new mayor, Willy Casanova, decided to no longer permit the use of the bullring for bullfights. The role of the bullring will be changed […]
Colombia: animal defender of the year 12 December 2017 Every year, in the Colombian city Medellín, an award is given for Defenzoor del año (animal defender of the year) by our sister organization Defenzoores, supported by CAS International. This year two former judges of the Colombian constitutional court received the prize, Maria Victoria Calle and Jorge […]
11th International Summit against Bullfighting 21 November 2017 In November the International Network against Bullfighting held a yearly conference against bullfighting, and this time in the most important bullfighting country in the world: Spain. The summit was a success this year. Many organizations of the International Network against Bullfighting travelled to Madrid to attend the summit. We […]
Spanish government wants to push through bullfighting in Balearic Islands 15 November 2017 The Spanish government has appealed to the Constitutional Court to revoke the end of traditional bullfights in the Balearic Islands. Since August 11, it is forbidden in this state to kill or maltreat bulls during a bullfight. The government of the state […]
CAS visits adoption horse Don Jamie 11 October 2017 On October 10 CAS International travelled to Belgium to visit our adoption horse Don Jamie. He is so sweet and stalwart! For us, this was a very beautiful and emotional moment, since Don Jamie has gone through a lot. In Spain he was used as a […]
CAS protests against bullfighting in Bilbao 4 September 2017 On Wednesday August 23 a protest against bullfighting and other types of spectacles with animals took place in the Basque city of Bilbao. Its occasion was the start of the city festival Aste Nagusia that took place in the week of the protest. During this festival, bullfights […]
Balearic Islands: end of traditional bullfights 24 July 2017 Today, the parliament of the Balearic Islands decided no to allow traditional bullfights any longer. On Monday July 24, a historical voting took place in Palma de Mallorca. Bullfighting itself is not prohibited, but regulated in a way that is it no longer feasible. Besides, circuses […]
Constitutional Court Colombia opens door to prohibition bullfighting 8 February 2017 At this moment there are positive developments in Colombia that make it possible to make laws regarding bullfights and cruel feasts with bulls. Until now, bullfighting was an exception in the Colombian animal protection laws (Ley 1774 del 6 de enero de 2016 and Ley […]
Catalonia won’t give up. We won’t either. 20 October 2016 The Spanish Constitutional Court has raised the prohibition of bullfighting in Catalonia. A group of senators of the conservative political party Partido Popular (PP) has appealed the court to cancel the abolition. The Constitutional Court voted with 8 votes in favour and 3 against. According […]
Feasts with bulls prohibited in Veracruz, Mexico 3 November 2016 The congress of the Mexican state of Veracruz decided unanimously to prohibit several cruel feasts with bulls: vaquilladas, pamplonadas and embalses, including the cruel feast Embalse de Toro de Tlacotalpan.The organization Movimiento Consciencia started an initiative, together with other organizations, to achieve the prohibition of events with […]
European Parliament votes for the end of subsidies to bullfighting 29 October 2015 On Wednesday October 28, the European Parliament voted in favor of the end to European subsidies that flow to the bullfighting industry. Through the European Union’s agricultural subsidies the European citizens are financially contributing to bullfighting and other cruel events with bulls. […]
Mexican state Coahuila prohibits bullfighting 27 August 2015 The Mexican state Coahuila prohibits bullfighting and becomes the third state in Mexico with a ban. The voting took place in the Congress of Coahuila, with 16 votes in favour and 5 against the prohibition. The bill was an initiative of governor Rubén Moreira Valdéz (PRI) and […]
UN: bullfighting in contravention of the Rights of the Child 26 March 2014 The committee for the Rights of the Child of the United Nations has stated that bullfighting is in contravention of the Convention of the Rights of the Child. The United Nations will now start to judge whether the bullfighting countries respect the […]
Dutch Parliament: End EU subsidies to bullfighting! 8 July 2013 On July 4, 2013, The Netherlands’ parliament voted unanimously(!) in favour of an initiative of Partij voor de Dieren to ask the Dutch (Netherlands) government to end EU funding of bullfighting. Parliament thinks that the Dutch government should use all its power with the EU […]