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​Ricky Gervais Hits Out After Bull Has Its Horns Set On Fire And 'Tormented'

​Ricky Gervais Hits Out After Bull Has Its Horns Set On Fire And 'Tormented'

Gervais has condemned footage from the ‘fire bull’ event in La Vall d’Uixó, Spain

Jess Hardiman

Jess Hardiman

WARNING: CONTAINS DISTRESSING CONTENT

Ricky Gervais has hit out after footage of a bull being 'tormented by crowds' as part of a Spanish festival surfaced online.

Sharing a news article about bulls getting their horns 'set on fire' before being 'knifed to death', Gervais tweeted: "Evil, braindead c***s."

Along with being an actor, director and comedian, Gervais is also a passionate animal rights activist and regularly speaks out about animal cruelty online.

Gervais is a passionate animal rights activist.
Twitter

Many of his followers were also horrified by the scenes, with one commenting: "I'm genuinely baffled how people can do this to animals for fun. Like what sort of person does that? It literally makes no sense."

Someone else added: "I am unfortunately constantly amazed at just how sick some humans can be. If a creature of any kind reacts to pain, be that the smallest creature or the largest, then how can anyone obtain pleasure from inflicting that pain. Only humans inflict pain for pleasure, SICK!"

A third said: "This makes me so angry & so sad. I will never comprehend why humans want to inflict such suffering on beautiful animals. I despise having to share a world with them."

The article Gervais was referencing was about the 'fire bull' event in La Vall d'Uixó, eastern Spain, which sees the animals dragged to a post so that metal braces can be fixed to their horns.

The braces are then set on fire before the bulls are cut loose, running around frantically while being harassed by spectators grabbing their tails, throwing sand and bottles at them and kicking them from behind specially designed cages.

The bulls were attached to metal braces that were then set on fire.
Pen News

Activists who recorded the incident also believe the bulls are then killed afterwards - a knife traditionally used for the end to suffering being present in the footage.

Jose Enrique Zaldívar, president of AVATMA - a veterinary group campaigning against events like these - said the 'disorientation, anxiety, fear, and anguish' of the bulls was great, even without fire.

"Once the balls or torches that are placed on their horns are lit, the presence of fire causes the animal to be terrified," he said.

"Since it is instinctively identified as another danger sign, it increases his stress and anguish much more."

Spectators kicked the bulls from behind specially designed cages.
Pen News

Jose Cubells, of La Tortura No Es Cultura (Torture is Not Culture) - who filmed the incident with Animal Guardians - said the alleged killing was just one of several breaches they witnessed.

"We have observed numerous infractions, such as the throwing of sand, bottles, and clothing at the animals' faces, the latter of which could have caught fire and burned the animals," he said.

"We also observed kicking the animals from behind the bars and introducing the animals into the boxes with their horns still on fire, which could have set fire to the whole structure.

"We are preparing an official complaint for the Territorial Unit of Castellón."

Marta Esteban, of Animal Guardians, said: "When they use adult bulls like these which have never been in a bullfight, the regulations say they must be taken to the slaughterhouse alive.

"It is considered a 'very serious infringement' of the law not to do so.

"But then we saw that they introduced the typical knife that it is used in traditional bullfights to give the bull the coup de grace."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Celebrity, News, Animals, Ricky Gervais