I want to tell you about the moment I met a bull who should be dead.
His name is Polvorín. He is a toro de lidia – a Spanish fighting bull, born and bred for an industry where bulls are taunted, exhausted, wounded and killed in front of cheering crowds.
At least 7,000 bulls are killed in traditional bullfights and festivals in Spain each year. Polvorín was almost one of them.
At a local “toro embolado” (fire bull) festival in Medinaceli, balls of flammable material were fixed to his horns. With flames blazing inches from his eyes and embers raining down on his body, he ran in terror, chased by a crowd that screamed and laughed at his panic.
At a fire bull festival, Polvorín was chased until he collapsed, left with severe burns, blind in one eye and his vocal cords cut so no one could hear him cry. Source: PACMA
Polvorín was driven until he collapsed from exhaustion. He was left with severe burn injuries to his back and lost sight in one eye. His torturers had even cut his vocal cords so no one could hear his terrified cries. When the festival ended, there was no mercy waiting for him. He was headed for the slaughterhouse.
But his story did not end there.
Instead, Polvorín was rescued and brought to our partner, La Candela Sanctuary in Andalusia, where for the first time in his life, no one is trying to hurt him.
When we visited, I stood just a few meters away from his enormous 1900 pound (850 kilogram) body. I expected to be afraid. But I wasn’t. I watched this huge animal amble quietly across his paddock, calm and curious, far more interested in his food than in me.
A gentle giant – alive, safe and finally free to enjoy the sunshine, grass and peace that cruelty and slaughter sought to take from him.
Polvorín endured unimaginable cruelty, all for mankind’s amusement. The bullfighting industry needs to be stopped to prevent future suffering of animals like Polvorín. Source: PACMA
Polvorín got the second chance that so few fighting bulls ever receive. But rescue is not a single moment. A rescue is a promise that has to be kept every single day.
Network for Animals wants to ensure Polvorín has the care he needs for the rest of his life.
And we need your help to do it.
A bull of Polvorín’s size needs a lot of food, specialist veterinary care from experts experienced in treating an animal of his strength and strong, well-maintained fencing to keep him safe. These costs never stop.
Polvorin is the only bull at the sanctuary, although there are many more in need. Our partner receives no government funding. That means every bag of feed matters. Every veterinary bill matters. Every damaged section of fencing matters. And every donation matters.
This is where you can make a real difference.
Your gift today can help protect Polvorín’s second chance:
- $25 (£19) can help fill Polvorín’s feed trough
- $75 (£56) can help towards his veterinary care
- $250 (£188) can help repair and strengthen the fencing that keeps him safe
- $600 (£450) can help cover a full month of his care
Polvorín’s recovery is far from over, but with your support, we can help ensure he continues to receive the long-term care he needs to live out his life safe, healthy and free. Source: PACMA
Polvorín is living proof of something the bullfighting industry would rather people forget: These animals are not monsters. When the world is gentle to them, they can be gentle too.
A rescue is a promise. A promise that Polvorín will never go hungry. That when he is sick or injured, someone will be there to treat him. That the fences around him will stay strong.
And that he will never again face the cruelty that he has experienced.
Please donate today and help us keep that promise – ensuring that we help Polvorín stay fed, healthy and safe for life.
