Colombia's legislature prohibits bullfighting, leaving seven remaining countries that sanction it.
On Tuesday, 93 representatives voted in support of outlawing bullfighting, with just two dissenters - sending the measure to President Gustavo Petro for his final seal of approval.
The left-leaning president celebrated the milestone on a certain day, exclaiming: "Congratulations to those who ensured this bloody sport will no longer be a spectacle."
Once Petro endorses it, the legislation comes with a three-year window to assist families reliant on the sport to locate alternate avenues of income.
Out of the total of 194 countries globally, only eight still tolerate bullfighting customs.
They are France, Portugal, Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Spain, Venezuela, and now Colombia, where the unsettling entertainment remains popular and elicits vehement objections.
Fights typically entail bulls being provoked by thrusting spears, vibrant capes in a stadium setting, before getting killed in full view of enthusiastic spectators.
Bullfight enthusiasts vie for this "art form" and maintain that it's a significant provider for stock breeders, as well as street vendors who draw crowds of buyers outside of the stadiums.
Animal welfare activists, on the other hand, persist in criticizing the tradition as a heinous practice that extends the animals' suffering through a protracted and painful demise.
"We want to prioritize the preservation and protection of every animal," commented House Representative Alejandro Garcia, a leading force behind the ban. "To the entire world, Colombia is moving towards cultural metamorphosis that emphasizes the dignity of every creature."
"We cannot fathom how a human expression of torment and inhumanity could be branded as cultural," retorted Lawmaker Juan Carlos Losada.
Meanwhile, other South American nations have already called the practice illegal, including Brazil and Argentina.
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The global shift against bullfighting continues, as Colombia joins seven other American and European countries, including Mexico and France, in maintaining this controversial tradition.
Following Colombia's ban on bullfighting, animal welfare activists hope to inspire similar changes in other countries around the Americas.
Source: edition.cnn.com
