A kinder Candlemas gives bulls some relief

Alcohol restrictions and other measures allow 240-year-old event to go ahead

Mexico News Daily | Friday, February 2, 2018

The annual celebration of Candlemas in Tlacotalpan, Veracruz, means it’s time to run with the bulls on the streets of the “magical town.”

But this year’s event was a notably kinder, gentler version than that of previous years.

In the past the bulls were forced to swim about 250 meters across the Papaloapan river but yesterday they were transported in boats.

Once they reached shore the animals were released on streets that were cordoned off with metal and and bamboo fencing, offering extra protection for locals and visitors alike, and homes and storefronts along the way.

And those brave — or crazy — enough to try their luck at running with the bulls had to register first, pledging that they would cause no physical harm to the animals.

The event has been severely criticized in recent years for being cruel to the bulls but changes were ushered in by a new animal protection law dictating that anyone who harmed the bulls could be fined up to 15,000 pesos (about US $810) and even spend time in jail.

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Spanish town swaps bull run for ‘ball roll’ after locking horns with animal activists

A Spanish town has decided to steer itself away from its traditional running of the bulls festival after protests from animal rights campaigners.

Like many cities and towns all over the country, the bull run in Mataelpino, in central Spain, saw daring locals run through the streets ahead of angry and tormented bulls.

Many locals and visitors alike were injured and gored during the annual festival, and it never turned out well for the bulls either.

After animal activists demanded that the festival be stopped – claiming unnecessary animal cruelty – town hall officials rolled out a novel idea: replace the bulls with large polystyrene balls.

The new festival sees runners trying (and mostly succeeding) to outpace the giant balls as they race downhill to the town’s old bull ring.

The risk of being run into by a polystyrene ball does not get the adrenaline pumping quite as much as the thought of being gored to death by a one-ton angry Sunday roast, as can be seen below.

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Cowbells Banned In Austrian Town For Being Too Loud

Let's hope Christopher Walken doesn't get a fever in Austria.

A farmer in the Austrian town of Stallhofen has been court-ordered to remove the cowbells from his cattle, Der Spiegel reports. Neighbors of the farmer complained that the ringing of several bovine bells bells kept them awake at night, particularly as the bells clanged against metal feeding troughs.

The farmer, whose name has not been released, argued that the cowbells actually produced a calming noise. He also argued that cowbells are an Austrian tradition.

Judge Erich Kundergraber, however, countered that cowbells are not traditional to residential areas, according to the BBC. Kundergraber visited the small village himself, and noted that the cows were in an enclosed field -- there was no need for cowbells.

Cowbells are generally worn by cows that roam over large, open pastures, so that any cow that becomes separated from the herd can be easily found, according to MSN.

On July 17, Kundergraber ruled that "the manner in which the farmer kept his cows was unbearable for his neighbors," court president Gerhard Goedl told the Austrian Free Press.

This statement upheld an earlier ruling that took place in May, when the farmer's neighbors originally brought the matter to court. The court had ruled that the cows were "kept in an unacceptably disturbing way . . . that disturbs the nocturnal peace of neighbors," but the farmer had appealed the decision.

If the farmer refuses to remove the bells, he faces a fine of 100 euros ($120).

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/22/cowbells-banned-austria_n_1692790.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news