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Matadors take the bull by the Velcro
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Photos by Duane Prokop/Las Vegas Review-Journal
Matador Eulalio "Zotoluco" Lopez fights Conquistador the bull Monday at the South Point. Bullfighters jab Velcro-tipped spears onto Velcro patches on the bulls' back. » Buy this photo
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Bullfighter Julio "El Cordobes" Benitez fights a bull named Jugador on Monday at the South Point hotel-casino.
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Updated: Apr. 10, 2012 | 9:14 a.m.
He weighed more than 1,000 pounds. He huffed and puffed. He drooled and he pooped. He charged.
"Olé!" screamed the crowd, several hundred strong.
They were watching a rare bullfighting event staged Monday afternoon at the South Point hotel-casino south of the Strip.
The event, dubbed a "bloodless" bullfight, features a patch of Velcro fastened to the bull's back. Rather than using actual weapons, the matadors try to attach a Velcro-coated stick to the bulls. It appears as if they've stabbed the bull, but the animal is unhurt.
The bulls did not appear to want to cooperate.
"This is very dangerous," said Edward Silva of Don Bull Productions, the event's sponsor. "It's more dangerous than regular bullfighting" because the animals are not injured and weakened, he said.
Animal rights groups voiced objections to the event, saying that the bulls were in danger and at risk for injury and that promoting bullfighting in general was not a good thing.
Silva said the event was the first bullfight in the Las Vegas area since 1965, when one was staged outside town, near what today is called Primm.
He said the promise by the promoter of Monday's event to make it bloodless cinched the deal.
Bloodless bullfighting has become popular elsewhere, including California.
The event was staged in part to celebrate Mexico's Independence Day, which is Wednesday.
Though the crowd was sparse -- perhaps 500 people in an indoor arena designed to hold a few thousand -- they were enthusiastic. Ticket prices ranged from $60 to $650.
Most in the audience appeared to be Hispanic, and many spoke Spanish.
The matadors, including several who were said to be cultural icons in their home countries of Mexico and Spain, made quite a show of taunting the bulls.
They seemed like the kind of guys who'd get a kick out of whacking a beehive with a broom handle and daring the bees to do something about it.
The bulls charged this man and that, each armed with a cape of bright pink or red.
The first bull rested rarely, his tail swaying briskly between charges.
The matador, armed with his Velcro spear, taunted.
"Woooo!" said the crowd.
The bull attacked, and the matador did not back down. He inched closer. Closer. Closer. He strutted away, as if he'd proved something.
"Woooo!" the crowd screamed again.
One fan, Arturo Aguirre, said he had been in the United States for 12 years. He is a U.S. citizen and lives in Las Vegas, he said, but he misses certain things about his native Mexico.
The bullfight struck him as authentic.
"It's pretty close," he said. "Real close."
Aguirre recalled that in Mexico, bullfights are huge events, parties that can go on seemingly endlessly.
He called the bloodless aspect a good thing despite its inherent phoniness because the bull is not killed.
The event continues at 2 p.m. today. It will return Sept. 27-30.
Contact reporter Richard Lake at rlake @reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0307.
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To, ORINAL COMMENT NOT TO JOE C,
When you answer blaming Europeans it did sound rather defensive by accusations.
I do believe my wife and I included feel the manner in which multiculturalism is being used to separate and segregate rather than unite.
I didn’t read all the posts here, but I do understand many citizens feel Spanish language and Hispanic culture is being forced on citizens.
Possibly causing much resentment from many and both my wife and I are against illegal immigration an issue that also is causing a splitting of unity here.
By the way my wife is Hispanic and while I don’t agree with hatred and the polarizing of people in many issues is causing much frustration.
The comments toward Mexico and culture will not soon end because of great corruption in government and business and from illegal immigrants that feel they have a right to justify their lawlessness.
It creates resentments right or wrong, it is just the way life is.
Just hope the Bulls win. Teasing animals is very manly......in Spain. Bloodless or not you are permeating a cruel sport. Comparisons to human fight activity sports are baseless, obviously because animals are not choosing to do this.
Culture cannot excuse away everything.
GO BULLS!!!!!!!!
To the fool that sadid,,,,to all the racist/ ethnocentric/ prejudicial/ worthless idiots
Many in Mexico and other South American countries would consider bull fighting part of their culture, although imported like language.
No one stated that there is not brutal customs in all cultures.
The fact is many here and in other countries don’t find this brand of cruelty enjoyable.
I also stated that even some dog show owners are not truly animal lovers.
Your outrage and protest is overboard, defensive probably because of your own hatred toward others that don’t agree with some of your agendas.
So you basically bigoted, racist and intolerant.