Warning: this article contains graphic images and descriptions.
French matador Juan Leal, 26, took a sneak attack from his intended target in a most unfortunate place at the 12th day of the San Isidro bullfighting fair.
As the video below shows, Leal gets gored in the rear-end, and the bull’s horn apparently hit its target, entering Leal’s rectum, nearly fatally.
???? | En VÍDEO, de la mano de @toros, el resumen de la 12ª de #SanIsidro2019 en #LasVentas
???? Oreja y grave cornada a Juan Leal pic.twitter.com/ycJbGNRte3
— Plaza de Las Ventas (@LasVentas) May 25, 2019
The crowd screamed in sympathetic horror as Leal leaped up and hobbled away while colleagues distracted the bull.
However, Leal insisted on finishing the set before being carried out on a stretcher, and now doctors say he is lucky to be alive.
Bullfighting is a very controversial practice which has several responders completely unsympathetic toward Leal:
Good. Got what he deserved.
— Mark (@ManBearPig2626) May 27, 2019
uma pena o toureiro nao ter morrido, desejarei sorte para o touro na proxima
— Doc Booze (@Docbooze) May 27, 2019
(Translation: a pity the bullfighter lived. I’ll wish the bull more luck next time.)
Good… I wish he would have died… torturing the bulls the way they do…. bull was covered in it's own blood… that piece of shit matador deserves to be covered in his own blood too
— BeautifulDisaster (@She_Damn_Pretty) May 27, 2019
That poor god forsaken animal with spears dangling from its body. Barbaric.
— Maggie (@maggiemarks333) May 27, 2019
Terrible cruelty
disguised as courage…
Congratulations to the bull— Von (@Von60608026) May 28, 2019
Dr. Máximo García Leirado, Leal’s doctor, said to publication Los Pleyers that Leal was lucky to be alive. If one of the bones in his sacrum was placed anywhere else, the bull’s horn could have pushed further into his rectum and killed him.
“I cannot explain how he could continue to fight and kill the bull, because a normal person, with such a wound, cannot walk,” he continued.
bulls eye!
— BAJA TV (@BAJATV) May 27, 2019
Another day in Middle Age Spain…
— Lica Nakamoto (@LicaNakamoto) May 27, 2019
Bravo! El Toro tore him a new one!????????
— maxwell de winter (@maxwelldewinter) May 27, 2019
Go bull
— BruceCormack (@cormack_bruce) May 28, 2019
Murderers!!! This is a medieval practice!!! Horrible horrible people.
— Kátia Barros (@KatiaBarros) May 28, 2019
Leal is expected to make a full recovery.
Bullfighting too often ends in tragedy for bullfighter and bull alike.
Teen bullfighter gored in BUM just five months after he took horn in MOUTH!!!
You would have thought that he would have learnt his lesson!!!
Ban #BullFighting NOW!!!! @RickyGervais pic.twitter.com/BhuGttfbAy
— PROTECT ALL WILDLIFE (@Protect_Wldlife) May 20, 2019
Spain's animal rights party, that began as anti-bullfighting but expanded to the broad array of animal rights issues, including the environmental harm of industrial agriculture, had its largest vote total yet but fell just shy of its first Parliament seats https://t.co/qm9iXFQh5h
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) April 28, 2019
Horrific. Barbaric. Cruel.
This matador wipes away 'tears' of bloodied bull with a handkerchief before killing it.#Bullfighting still continues in nine countries – each year tens of thousands of bulls are maimed, tortured and killed for entertainment.https://t.co/bu5ju27QvA
— League Against Cruel Sports (@LeagueACS) May 13, 2019
God, I hate bullfighting.
— Hawaiiborn (@Hawaiiborn2) May 27, 2019
I saw this colosseum type arena in Nimes today. They still do bullfighting here in France. ????
Not sure if it’s the violent Corridas style or if it’s the less cruel Course Camarguaise bullfight where they just snatch a rosette off the bull. pic.twitter.com/08waRO5T1p— col (@ColeenBlomkamp) May 22, 2019
Here’s wishing Leal a full and swift recovery.
