Sadly gored to death in a horrific event during a bullfight, renowned and revered matador Iván Fandiño Barros was killed.
“Hurry up, I’m dying,” he said in his last words. Celebrated in the southwest of France, the Aire-sur-l’Adour festival claimed the life of the 36-year-old Spanish bullfighter, renowned for his bravery in facing bulls deemed to be too hazardous.
Dedicated husband and parent, Fandiño has suffered injuries in the ring in the past. The Times has claimed that he had been hurt twice before this catastrophe that finally proved fatal.
On that terrible day, he stumbled and collapsed while trying to negotiate using his coat. In an instant, a wounded bull surged at him, tramped over him, and caused a major goring puncturing his lung. The goring came in one short second.
Juan del Alamo, another matador who finally caused the bull to die, expressed surprise at the quickness and brutality of the event. It challenges me to believe. Everything happened so fast; we are all confused about how it could have happened.” He remarked in an interview with The Independent.
With about 250,000 bulls killed yearly in these events globally, the Humane Society International brought attention to the terrible reality of bullfighting. Bullfighting is illegal in several nations like the United Kingdom, Canada, and Italy, even if it is still permitted in Spain. Growing concerns over animal welfare have led some Spanish cities also to ban the practice.
“For the 1,000 bulls brutally killed in French bullfights every year, every single fight is a tragedy in which they have no chance of escaping a protracted and painful death,” the company highlighted stressing the sad loss of Fandiño. They demanded that blood sports compromising human and animal life stop.
Following closely on the heels of another sad incident in the bullfighting scene, the death of 29-year-old matador Victor Barrio Hernanz, who was gored by an 83-stone bull just a year earlier. Television carried his death live, sparking discussions about the morality of bullfighting once more.
Fandiño was taken to the hospital following an injury; medical workers there reportedly failed to revive him after his heart apparently stopped during transit. He urged rescuers to move fast as he battled for his life. His narrative highlights the inherent risks those engaged in this conflicting activity run.