Eight out of ten Spaniards against animal suffering in bullfights and hunting

A survey by the Spanish foundation Fundación BBVA has shown that 54 percent of Spaniards believe that animals and humans have the same right to live. In addition, eighty percent are against the use of animals for bullfighting, hunting and circuses with animals. Spaniards actually have a big heart for animals.

Foto: Santuario Vegan

CAS International knew that the number of people who are not interested in bullfighting was high. Various surveys have shown that 70 to 80 percent of Spaniards are against it. Moreover, figures from the Ministry of Culture show that only 6.9 percent of Spaniards actually go to bullfights. The survey by Fundación BBVA confirms this information and offers a picture of the opinion of Spaniards on other subjects, such as hunting and circuses with animals. Furthermore, the research shows that less than 2 (1.9) of every 10 Spaniards approve bullfighting. In the case of hunting, 1.7 of every 10 Spaniards is in favour. Furthermore, the research shows that more men than women find the use of animals for these kinds of activities acceptable. In addition, people with a deep religious belief who do not have any (domestic) animals themselves, and who are politically right-wing, are more inclined to approve bullfighting, hunting and circuses with animals.

Right to live

According to the survey, 98 percent of Spaniards acknowledge that animals have a right to life. 54 percent of them think that this right is the same as for humans, 44 percent has the opinion that there is a difference in the right to life between humans and animals. According to the Spanish newspaper El País, Spaniards feel closely involved with animal welfare. They have a big heart for animals. And from CAS, we can recognise ourselves in this statement. We see in Spain a country with horrible animal suffering but at the same time there is a deep pain and shame in the population. We see people who are very motivated to change the country and who love animals. In some areas of cities like Madrid there are even more dogs than people, which says something about the love of Spaniards for animals. 40 years ago, in the period after the Franco dictatorship, this was unthinkable. Then, it was normal to use dogs exclusively for hunting or as watchdogs. But Spaniards have in recent decades lovingly welcomed dogs and cats into their homes: they have become family members. Our employee Projects & Publicity, Estefania Pampin Zuidmeer, who grew up in Spain:

“When I was 13 we had a dog. We were pretty much the only ones in our neighbourhood with a dog as a pet. Many people did not understand this and asked us if the animal was meant to watch over our house. Twenty-seven years later, this image has changed completely: many people live at home with dogs. And today, many of our fellow citizens are heavily involved in the care of animals at the local shelter. How wonderful is that?”

The survey further reveals that 87 percent of Spaniards believe that animals feel physical pain, 79 percent believe that animals can experience fear. In addition, 71 percent are convinced that they have emotions and 69 percent that animals can experience a sense of pleasure. And we fully agree with these Spaniards!

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