Bull Taming Is A Thing, And Yes, It Gets People Hurt

While the world may have different views on bulls — whether to name 'em, maim 'em or flambe 'em — we've universally adopted a view that they are, in some sense, our competition. The Spanish race against them each year, or at the very least watch tourists get their innards re-arranged at hornpoint. Costa Ricans and Wyomingites and Brazilians ride the suckers, and metric or standard, eight seconds brings the same glorious triumph.

Then, India. The reverential relationship between people and cattle on the subcontinent surely stands among the most celebrated anywhere, but that doesn't stop jackasses from piling into rings and "taming" bulls during an annual festival in Palamedu, India. This sporting rite is called jallikattu, and from what I can discern from the photo galleries (see here, here and here), taming is a euphemism for kind of riding and wrestling but mostly just fucking with. On a single day this week some 41 people were hospitalized (briefly and non-severely) for jallikattu-related dings and scrapes. According to a press account, "The bulls were medically examined prior to the event. Strict vigil was also made to ensure that the bull tamers were not inebriated."

On the last, I call bull.

[ One India News]

Photo credit: AP