Running Of The Bulls

Running of the bulls is an event, usually in Spain, that involves running in front of bulls that have been set loose on a sectioned-off section of city streets. The most famous running of the bulls event is that involving the nine-day festival of San Fermin, but the events are held throughout Spain's towns and village during the fiesta season where it is typically in the run-up to the bull-fight, especially in southern French town of Bayonne. Unlike bullfights, running with the bulls involves no violence toward the bulls. In fact, under the rules of running of the pulls, even pulling the bulls' tails is frowned upon. In spite of the lack of violence in the running of the bulls event, injuries are common to the participants who are often gored or trampled while the bulls tend to lose their balance due to the poor grip their hooves have on the paved or cobbled street surfaces.

Another condition that differs between bullfights and running with bulls is the experience of the participants. In bullfights, only professionals may participate; however, in running of the bull, anyone can participate. In spite of the potential harm done in running with the bulls, it remains a popular event. During the running of the bull event, the bulls tire easily of running, preferring to charge at the spectators instead. This turnaround means a change in the running of the bull rules while steers are released in order to collect any strays. For the participant, running with the bull can be a challenge in itself, attempting to keep the bull interested in following the participants rather than charging at the spectators.

In spite of the popularity, one must accept the facts of running of the bulls. One, it is not without injury to both participants and bulls, and it's a challenge to maintain control over such a large beast. Running of the bulls in the streets provides little grip for the hooves of the bull, thus he has more of a chance of losing his grip and falling. How much injury this causes depends upon the way the bull falls and how fast he is running at the time he falls.

If you're interested in seeing running of bulls and are going to be in Spain during the time the event is in progress, make sure that you have plenty of film. The event is quite popular, and you want to obtain pictures of running of bulls to bring back to your friends and family.