Bullfighting around the world: from conquistadors to Hindus

A villager is flung by a bull during Jallikattu, a bull-taming sport as part of the harvest festival of Pongal, in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Photograph

Bullfighting is also practised in a small number of other countries besides Spain – albeit with regional twists:

Portugal

Portuguese bullfighting is generally described as "bloodless" because the bull is not killed in the ring. Often, however, a butcher will dispatch a wounded animal backstage though the lucky ones are packed off to take part in American rodeos or put out to pasture. Unlike the Spanish version, in Portugal the bullfighter is usually on horseback, and the bull's horns are sometimes filed down to make them less sharp.

France

Bullfighting has been popular in pockets of southern France for 150 years. Though the practice contravenes a 1976 act that outlaws the torture and deliberate mistreatment of animals, the law makes an exception for La Corrida in areas where there is an "unbroken, local, tradition". Nîmes in Languedoc-Roussillon is particularly passionate with a million visitors flocking to the five-day festival at Pentecost each year.

Mexico

The conquistadors brought bullfighting to Latin America in the 1500s and nowadays Mexicans are probably the most enthusiastic after the Spanish. Mexico City boasts the largest ring in the world, which can accommodate 60,000 spectators. Mexican bullfighting is similar to the Spanish style – the matador is the star of the show, teasing the animal with a cap before killing it with a sword.

Peru

Conchita Cintrón made her debut in 1937 at the main arena in Lima, aged 13. Famous for her skills on foot and horseback, Cintrón reportedly killed more than 750 bulls in Europe, Central America and South America. She died in Lisbon last year.

Ecuador

In Quito, bullfighting is the highlight of the Las fiestas de Quito festival each December when internationally renowned bullfighters are invited to show off their prowess. Outside of the capital, bullfighting enjoys less support: in 2007, Baños de Agua Santa city council declared itself anti-bullfighting.

India

A form of bull running called Jallikattu is practised in Tamil Nadu, southern India, as part of the annual Hindu festival of Pongal. The bull is not killed and the "matadors" are not supposed to use any weapons.