Why Contiki will no longer take you to running of the bulls

[swilow]

Why Contiki will no longer take you to running of the bulls

There was a time not long ago when watching a bull rampage through the cobbled streets of Pamplona was a must for every young backpacker.

The running of the bulls is an annual event where a small group of cattle are let loose in a sectioned-off area of the Spanish town. Spectators dressed in white with red scarves flee ahead of the animals, and are sometimes gored. This year, nine were injured in the first two days.

Amidst this spectacle of colour and bravado, there's the unfortunate fact that all the bulls end up dead. Their run ends in the bull ring, where they are killed by a matador before a crowd.

"Back in the day it was a bucket list thing to do in Europe - up there with La Tomatina festival in Spain or Octoberfest," says Vanessa Budah, head of PR for Travel Corporation, which owns the package tour companies Contiki and Busabout. "It was very popular".

But in the last few years major package tour operators have distanced themselves.

The event remains very popular, but Travel Corporation's tour companies have stopped offering the San Fermin running of the bulls festival as a destination.

"It's mainly for the reason of the treatment of the bulls," says Vanessa.

It's unethical and not what we stand for.
"If we were to continue running something like that, there'd be a lot of backlash as well.

"It's what our passengers are telling us as well; [it's about] making travel matter, making sure they're putting their best foot forward.

"They want to know that in everything they do they make a difference. We're aligning with those ideals the best we can."

-Read on.

Gotta say, this is a good thing. The running of the bulls is a pathetic and cruel "tradition" that has well seen its used by date (Of course, its hardly a tradition for pissed western 20-somethings to do this ) Anyway, fuck it- thousands of screaming lunatics sprinting about terrifying an aggressive animal and herding it to a brutal death. I am pleased that big companies are choosing not to partake but let us not pretend there is real altruism here in the slightest: it is of course fear of "backlash". Either way, hopefully the loss of tourist dollars has an impact.

 

[invegauser]

see this is where i'm at ends. it's a rite of passage, great tourist go to if your into it but at the same time i do understand where the bulls are being treated are of a concern.

i'm torn between let it continue to happen and stop it. i'm also not one to dictate another cultures traditions.

i'm glad the article states that only the travel companies are backing out of offering it as part of their package.

if you read on in the article it says "enough with the drugged tiger selfies". i'm not so sure about that. drugging it for the sake of taking a selfie is wrong (like selfies at funerals). when i was a kid we went to the zoo and even though those animals are captured and put in zoos it was an experience i never got to see irl anywhere else, it taught me a few different things city life could not. one time we just so happened to go on a day where the tiger was drugged so it could have work done on one of it's teeth. a fortuitous opportunity to touch a real life one for us, a great relief for the tiger from tooth pain i'm sure.

 

[zephyr]

I watched a doc on the bill running and the history, tradition, industry and local people who have been running the whole thing for generations.


While I too feel horror at the fate the bulls face at the dramatic finale and the spectacle of the entire thing is not something I personally would not be interested in attending, there is far far more to this than that at stake.

In fact I would go as far as to suggest the bull running plays such a significant role in the local area, the sacrifice of the animal is entirely worth the amount of good it does the area.


I would hope the nay sayers and wowsers who have not spared any time on their earnest endeavour to save some bulls from this industry be simply ignored until the impact of their actions are also investigated with such interest as the people who breed and give a pretty amazing life to these bulls would really like to hear some ideas of what to do with their animals who wont be around at all without the bull running.


Let them have their traditions , dont like it then don't go, theres plenty of other world famous events to spoil for everyone else.

Contiki are shit anyway, best off not using them.

It's a local tradition and maybe the international crowd have begin to run it .

 

[invegauser]

well said zephyr

good to read your post again

 

[zephyr]

Hmmmm...... Im high invegauser, Ill regret this in the morning trust me. But I dunno man, this subject matter came up in my household recently abd none of us agree with each other about it except for the opinion that the bulls being speared like that is god awful honestly if they are left as untame and away from humans or whatever they do and given the epic quality of life and get to grow into the adult animals they are, surely the spears are not necessary to spur them on.


These bulls wouldnt actually exist at all without bull running, bull fighting, its a paradox as one does not exist without the other so take away one then both go. Is this what would make animal rights activists happy? I hate animal cruelty, its everywhere and couldnt agree more how horrible the bull fighting and running is.

So I dont watch it anymore and wont ever go to it but would not support shutting it down at all either.




Its tour groups like conkiti that would have made a tidy profit running tours and groups through this event and would be responsible for promoting it, as are other travel groups and media.


Otherwise it wouldnt have the worldwide fame it does.

Its a very old tradition and taking it worldwide is probably a mistake regardless of the industry making the area a lot of money since its just as capable of plummeting them into ruin.




Also, when its on tv, we are on the bulls side and the idiots gored and killed well suck shit dickheads, at least tbe bulls get to go down fighting and having thought that, I dont really buy the whole "about the bulls" story.

I know that no travel inurance company here will cover anyone for any injury or loss of travel or anything if they are dumb enough to put themselves at risk of death like that and wonder if Contiki are just covering their liability arse by not being in any way associated with tours to the event.

I doubt they actually can get any indemnity if people get hurt so I suspect its about money not morals.

 

[Xorkoth]

It is a very old tradition. However, it was a very (VERY) old tradition in the Roman empire to force slaves to murder each other for entertainment, too. But I'm glad we don't do that anymore. I dunno, tradition or not I can't support the bull run (or bull fighting either). It's just blatant animal cruelty. People can be entertained in other ways. I think it's more important to not torture and kill animals than it is to entertain a bunch of people who would just find something else less cruel after they got done being outraged about it, tradition or not.

IMO, "it's tradition" is a terrible justification for anything, if it's the only justification. There are many traditions that are wonderful and harmless, but this isn't one of them.

 

[swilow]

^Totally agreed. We should judge traditions on their merits not simply the fact they are traditions. Which I respect except when they are cruel.

Hmmmm...... Im high invegauser, Ill regret this in the morning trust me. But I dunno man, this subject matter came up in my household recently abd none of us agree with each other about it except for the opinion that the bulls being speared like that is god awful honestly if they are left as untame and away from humans or whatever they do and given the epic quality of life and get to grow into the adult animals they are, surely the spears are not necessary to spur them on.


These bulls wouldnt actually exist at all without bull running, bull fighting, its a paradox as one does not exist without the other so take away one then both go. Is this what would make animal rights activists happy? I hate animal cruelty, its everywhere and couldnt agree more how horrible the bull fighting and running is.

So I dont watch it anymore and wont ever go to it but would not support shutting it down at all either.




Its tour groups like conkiti that would have made a tidy profit running tours and groups through this event and would be responsible for promoting it, as are other travel groups and media.


Otherwise it wouldnt have the worldwide fame it does.

Its a very old tradition and taking it worldwide is probably a mistake regardless of the industry making the area a lot of money since its just as capable of plummeting them into ruin.




Also, when its on tv, we are on the bulls side and the idiots gored and killed well suck shit dickheads, at least tbe bulls get to go down fighting and having thought that, I dont really buy the whole "about the bulls" story.

I know that no travel inurance company here will cover anyone for any injury or loss of travel or anything if they are dumb enough to put themselves at risk of death like that and wonder if Contiki are just covering their liability arse by not being in any way associated with tours to the event.

I doubt they actually can get any indemnity if people get hurt so I suspect its about money not morals.

Totally agree that it's not ethics driving this, it's money. Contiki wouldn't withdraw from this unless the alternative cost them money, and bad publicity (meh, social media 'outcry') certainly costs money. Also I read that numbers on such tours was dropping anyway.

 

[Limpet_Chicken]

It's disgusting IMO.

And bull 'fighting'...it isn't a fight, it's torturing animals for fun.

Every time I hear of bullfighting, I am rooting for the bull to rip the matador a new set of arseholes. And when such events do happen, I hope it is slow, and painful. That the vile, animal-tormenting, cowardly pieces of shit get handed a slice of the suffering they seek to dish out.

Hell, if there must be blood 'sports', take the animals out of it. Bring back gladiators. High pay, high as hell, but make it such as it must be an occupation. At the gladiator's own risk.

There'll always be somebody stupid enough to go for it for the money. Let human stupidity entertain human stupidity, at least they have a say in the matter.

In my book, there are few things, that would inspire me to visit a viler fate upon somebody, than abusing animals. It makes me fucking sick. Animal abusers are right alongside paedophiles and rapists, as far as I'm concerned.

Hell, there's an idea. Why not put the two together. Instead of a bull, chuck a nonce in the pit and have them fight for their continued existence (obviously, never freedom, just the continued sufferance of being permitted to eat, breathe, drink, piss, sleep and shit. Let them fight to the death over a creme egg a week, or something like that as some pittance of compensation. If they lose, obviously, chop chop, no more paedo, world=better place. If they survive that particular fight, they get a chocolate bar with their bowl of slop.

And I bet plenty of people would come to watch. Or to participate as the nonce version of the matador.