Cartagena’s mayoral office has announced a $1 million restoration of the town’s iconic bull ring, reported daily El Universal Monday.
The restoration project for the 1973 structure, considered one of the most impressive bull rings in Latin America, could be complete within six months.
The announcement was made following an inspection by the chief of staff of the Cartagena Mayor’s Office, Colombia Villamil Quiroz.
“The bull ring needs the hand of the district administration to deliver a service to the people of Cartagena,
Campo Elias Teran Dixthe, the Mayor of Cartagena, was yesterday quoted by daily El Tiempo as saying, “The spectacle of bullfighting has to return to the city, port and tourist destination which is Cartagena.”
The news is a shot in the arm for the bull fighting lobby, beleaguered by an upswell in support for the abolition of bull fighting in the Colombian Congress, as well as recent moves against the sport from the Mayor of the capital Bogota and Governor of the Antioquia department.
The restoration project has also sparked condemnation from animal rights activists, with Ingrid Hernandez, Director of the Rescue Foundation for Homeless Animals, quoted in El Tiempo as saying, “The fight taking place in Colombia revolves around whether bullfighting is considered a cultural expression. But how can culture have any relation to violence? If we allow culture to be related to violence, where will that get us?”