Nine-year-old Mexican boy may be youngest bullfighter ever.

[VespertineIconoclast]

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Mexican boy takes bull by horns
By Duncan Kennedy
BBC News, Mexico City

It has horns, weighs 400lbs (180kg) and does not like humans.

For most people that would be invitation enough to make one's excuses and leave.

But not Rafita Mirabal. When he is facing the bulls of Mexico he stands his ground. Even though he is only nine years old.

Rafita is believed to be the world's youngest-ever bullfighter - a miniature matador.

...

He may not yet be in double digits so far as his age is concerned, but he has the kind of "I-am-the-king-of-the-ring" confidence of a fighter twice his age.

The difference with Rafita is that he does not kill the animal. And, for many, that seems to have an inherent attraction.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6148222.stm

[Kali]

1. oooh

this could be good.:popcorn:

[idgiehkt]

2. He doesn't kill the bull but it ends up 'disoriented'.

I'm not really understanding that. I'm glad he doesn't kill the bull, that's nice, but in the pic it looks like swords are sticking out of the bull's back. Teaching children cruelty to animals is child abuse.

[VespertineIconoclast]

3. Yes, it is cruel how the bulls are treated especially if you are assessing from the US perspective.

Values and mores can become blurred as you cross borders and countries. One would hope that there were certain beliefs that are universal to all people, right? But, that is not always the case especially when you start to talk about animal treatment.

Even though I definitely don't condone cruelty to animals, I understand that in Mexico bullfighting is a traditional source of entertainment for the people. Thus, taking that into account I'm more shocked that the boy's parents would allow him to put himself in such great danger than that the boy is allowed to "disorient" the animal.