German cyclist gored to death after fighting bull trained to take on matadors escapes from enclosure
- Horrific killing took place on Monday near Mejanes, southern France
- The 54-year-old cyclist was riding with his 47-year-old wife on a quiet road
- The victim's identity has not yet been released
- He died from his injuries after being gored in the chest by animal
By PETER ALLEN PUBLISHED: 10:00 GMT, 15 October 2013 | UPDATED: 12:17 GMT, 15 October 2013
A fighting bull bred to take on matadors escaped from his enclosure and gored a German cyclist to death, it emerged today. The horrific killing took place on Monday in beautiful countryside near Mejanes, in the Camargue region of southern France. The 54-year-old cyclist, who has not been named, was riding with his 47-year-old wife on a quiet road near an estate owned by the Paul Ricard liquor company.
Horrifying: A fighting bull bred to take on matadors escaped from his enclosure and gored a German cyclist to death, it emerged today (file photo)
As they passed an enclosure full of bulls, one weighing around 350kg escaped through a broken fence and attacked them.
‘The bulls had been fighting among themselves, and that’s how their fence was broken,’ said a local police spokesman.
‘The victim was charged and then gored in the chest,’ added the spokesman, who said the man was rushed to hospital in nearby Arles but died of his injuries.
Location: The horrific killing took place on Monday in beautiful countryside near Mejanes, in the Camargue region of southern France (file photo)
Although accidents of this kind are extremely rare, they always lead to further calls for bullfighting to be banned.
While Spain is the bullfighting centre of Europe, it is also very common in the south west of France.
A 1951 law banned cruelty to animals in the country, but there are exceptions for towns with a long tradition of bullfighting and cockfighting.
A fighting bull bred to take on matadors escaped from his enclosure and gored a German cyclist to death, it emerged today. The horrific killing took place on Monday in beautiful countryside near Mejanes, in the Camargue region of southern France. The 54-year-old cyclist, who has not been named, was riding with his 47-year-old wife on a quiet road near an estate owned by the Paul Ricard liquor company.
Horrifying: A fighting bull bred to take on matadors escaped from his enclosure and gored a German cyclist to death, it emerged today (file photo)
As they passed an enclosure full of bulls, one weighing around 350kg escaped through a broken fence and attacked them.
‘The bulls had been fighting among themselves, and that’s how their fence was broken,’ said a local police spokesman.
‘The victim was charged and then gored in the chest,’ added the spokesman, who said the man was rushed to hospital in nearby Arles but died of his injuries.
Location: The horrific killing took place on Monday in beautiful countryside near Mejanes, in the Camargue region of southern France (file photo)
Although accidents of this kind are extremely rare, they always lead to further calls for bullfighting to be banned.
While Spain is the bullfighting centre of Europe, it is also very common in the south west of France.
A 1951 law banned cruelty to animals in the country, but there are exceptions for towns with a long tradition of bullfighting and cockfighting.
