Bulls injure 48 amateur matadors
  • 13 years ago

A week of amateur bullfights commonly known as Corralejas have left 48 people injured in Colombia.

Every January, hundreds of amateur bull fighters risk their lives jumping into an arena to taunt 1,000-pound bulls in Colombia's unruly bull festivals.

The six-day event takes place in the state of Sucre and is described by locals as an explosive and sometimes lethal mixture of alcohol, music, violence and machismo.

An average of 20 participants die each year in the "Corralejas," which have been held annually for more than 150 years in towns across Colombia's northern plains.

The only certain survivors in the arena are the bulls themselves. Unlike in traditional bullfights with skilled matadors, it is forbidden to kill the animals. Colombia's most important Corraleja takes place on 20 January.