Abstract
Simple SummaryFighting bulls that participate in bullfighting face energy and metabolic demands due to the high intensity and duration of the exercise performed. Under these conditions, specific corporal mechanisms, such as the acid–base balance, are affected, causing metabolic acidosis. However, fighting bulls also undergo muscular injuries, physiological changes, and high enzyme concentrations that reflect the stress to which they are subjected, and in some bulls, bullfights can trigger electrolytic imbalances that include hypercalcaemia, hypermagnesaemia, and hyperphosphataemia, exacerbated by muscular necrosis and myoglobinuria.During bullfights, bulls undergo physiometabolic responses such as glycolysis, anaerobic reactions, cellular oedema, splenic contraction, and hypovolemic shock. The objective of this review article is to present the current knowledge on the factors that cause stress in fighting bulls during bullfights, including their dying process, by discussing the neurobiology and their physiological responses. The literature shows that biochemical imbalances occur during bullfights, including hypercalcaemia, hypermagnesaemia, hyperphosphataemia, hyperlactataemia, and hyperglycaemia, associated with increased endogenous cortisol and catecholamine levels. Creatine kinase, citrate synthase, and lactate dehydrogenase levels also increase, coupled with decreases in pH, blood bicarbonate levels, excess base, partial oxygen pressure, and oxygen saturation. The intense exercise also causes a marked decrease of glycogen in type I and II muscle fibres that can produce myoglobinuria and muscular necrosis. Other observations suggest the presence of osteochondrosis. The existing information allows us to conclude that during bullfights, bulls face energy and metabolic demands due to the high intensity and duration of the exercise performed, together with muscular injuries, physiological changes, and high enzyme concentrations. In addition, the final stage of the bullfight causes a slow dying process for an animal that is sentient and conscious of its surroundings.
Highlights
Fighting bulls are considered a specialized breed of cattle that has its origins in the species Bos taurus, which includes all breeds of bovines involved in various zootechnical practices [1]
They found that some responses had decreased, others remained within normal ranges (Na+, K+, iCa, Htc), and the rest increased (PCO2, Hb, lactate) compared to normal reference values for other bovine species
It is well known that aggressive bovines such as Angus-cross steers can show elevated values of certain metabolites associated with energy catabolism [22], so it is necessary to conduct more studies with fighting bulls to determine whether the values reported by Escalera-Valente et al [51] could be considered normal due to the temperament of this breed, regardless of the exercise performed during bullfights
Summary
Fighting bulls are considered a specialized breed of cattle that has its origins in the species Bos taurus, which includes all breeds of bovines involved in various zootechnical practices [1]. It can compromise the animal’s locomotion, as Barona et al [10] determined in their analysis of the site, depth, and severity of the lesions produced by this instrument after examining 277 fighting bulls from 43 events They suggest that those injuries are located, in order of importance, in bull’s shoulders and hump. The matador stabs six flags (banderillas) into the bull’s shoulders and/or hump This action aggravates the muscle damage already inflicted by the lance because every movement the bull makes while charging the matador and his red cape moves the flags inside the wounds. The death of bulls during bullfights—whether by asphyxia or exsanguination—occurs while the animal is fully conscious because the brainstem and/or brain cortex remain intact [17,19]
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