Juan Leal, a 26-year-old bullfighter from France, was gored up his rectum, in Madrid, Spain.
The incident took place on the 12th day of the San Isidro bullfighting fair at Las Ventas arena, on May 25.
Things could have ended worse for the former pizza deliverer as assistants rushed in to distract the bull and bring Leal to safety. He survived the ordeal and he even managed to finish the fight—and the bull—single-handedly, according to the New York Post.
Warning: This video may contain disturbing images.
The video footage shows Leal full of self-confidence, showing off a few tricks, injuring the frustrated animal. The bull menacingly makes a few circles around Leal. Next, at one moment of inattentiveness—or is it elation?—Leal turns his back on the bull.
Then, suddenly, it plows its horn into his rear and lifts him with his two feet off the ground. The crowd screams and gasps in terror.
There he found himself, dangling, with a horn of a fierce bull up his rectum, possibly thinking to himself: “Why didn’t I stay a pizza delivery boy?”
Matador is gored in the bottom by raging beast at Madrid festival before walking to hospital https://t.co/qvnXS1RLU3
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) May 27, 2019
After the fight, he was sent to a hospital and underwent an operation. Doctors said he suffered a 10-inch cut in his rectum with an exit hole out of his buttocks. He also suffered a suspected fracture of the sacrum coccyx.
“I can’t understand how [he] managed to continue the fight and kill the bull afterward because a normal person wouldn’t have been able to even stand up or walk,” said Máximo García Leirado, his surgeon, according to the Daily Mail.
“It was fortunate that the horn hit the sacrum and then slid upwards, rather than penetrating his stomach.”
Medics say he will likely recover over time, but he needs to rest and avoid any infections.
Bullfighter Wipes Away Bull’s Tears Before Killing It
On May 10, a matador sparked outrage when he wiped away “tears” from the animal’s eyes and then killed it.
The bullfight occurred during the Feria de Sevilla (Fair of Seville) in Spain, Newsweek reported, citing local media. Internet users expressed outrage over the move.
“Morante de la Puebla took a handkerchief out of his pocket to dry the tears of the bull he had been torturing for half an hour,” one person wrote of the clip.
Matador wipes away bloodied bull’s tears before killing it.https://t.co/pvLonGLtqS pic.twitter.com/37UzOs9yFj
— LADbible (@ladbible) May 13, 2019
According to the Daily Mail, the matador was identified as Morante de la Puebla. In the video, he is seen pulling out a handkerchief with his hand.
The bull is seen with four spikes sticking out of its back before Puebla kills the animal.
Silvia Barquero, president of the so-called Animalist Party (PACMA) tweeted: “Only a twisted and perverse mind would be able to torture an animal until blood drips down its paws and wipe a piece of paper from its face with a handkerchief. The matador disguises his eerie lack of empathy. Abolish bullfighting NOW!”
Epoch Times reporter Jack Philips contributed to this article.
