Bulls will continue to die in Bogota bullfighting arenas despite protestations from the city’s mayor, Colombia media reported Monday.
After a meeting with the non-profit Taurina Corporation of Bogota, which represents the interests of bullfighters, Bogota Mayor Gustavo Petro said the group had not agreed to end the practice of killing bulls in the course of a fight.
In fact, the group seemed to come out fighting. “They said that if the bull didn’t die on its second round, they would kill it outside of the arena,” Petro said on his Twitter feed this weekend.
Petro took a stand against bullfighting during his mayoral campaign and announced in January that City Hall would not provide financial support for bullfighting events. Nor would any city officials make use of the box seats allotted to them at the Plaza de Toros de Santamaria, he said.
Petro said he was preparing a new position in light of the group’s “negative response.”