An award-winning matador was horrifically gored to death in a bullfight and his final words were haunting.
Iván Fandiño Barros, who was married with a daughter, was a Spanish bullfighter. He was renowned for his willingness to confront bulls deemed too dangerous by others.
Bullfighting is a physical contest involving a bullfighter attempting to subdue, immobilize, or kill a bull according to rules, guidelines, or cultural expectations.
The so-called ‘sport’ is banned by law in many countries, including the U.K. Canada, Argentina, Italy, Denmark, and Cuba.
Although it’s legal in Spain, some cities have outlawed the practice.
Humane Society International reports that approximately 250,000 bulls are killed in bullfights every year. It is also dangerous to those who take up the contest.
The incident occurred when the renowned bullfighter visited southwest France to participate in the Aire-sur-l’Adour bullfighting festival.
Juan del Alamo, the matador who later killed the bull, said (via The Independent): “I can’t believe it. None of us understand how it could have happened; it was all so fast.”
The Humane Society International said in a statement: “The matador’s death is a tragedy but 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.
“Bloodsports like this should be consigned to the history books, no one should lose their life for entertainment, human or animal.”
This wasn’t the first time Fandiño had been injured in the ring, with The Times reporting he had been hurt twice before.
At the bullfighting festival, Fandiño fatally tripped on his cloak. He became entangled and stumbled to the floor.
Just moments later, the badly wounded bull trampled the 36-year-old and gored him with its horns.
Spectators watched in horror as the enraged creature tossed Fandiño into the air. The bull plunged its horn into his chest when the matador landed on the floor.
France 24 reports that Fandiño was punctured in the lung.
The matador’s heart reportedly stopped in the ambulance and when he arrived at the hospital, doctors were unable to do anything that could save his life.
According to reports, the 36-year-old used his final moments to urge rescuers to help move him.
His final words were believed to be: “Hurry up, I’m dying.”
Fandiño’s death came one year after the passing of 29-year-old matador Victor Barrio Hernanz, who was gored by a reported 83-stone bull.
The unconscious bullfighter was rushed to a nearby hospital but doctors were unable to save him.
Barrio’s shocking death was screened on live TV, resurging the heated debate around the controversial ‘sport.’
