SAN FRANCISCO (dpa) – When matador Dennis Borba enters the bullfighting arena and forces the creature to its knees, not a drop of blood is spilt.
Borba is the only active professional matador in the world to have been born in the United States. He taunts the bulls in his native California in a “bloodless” contest.Velcro, the self-gripping, nylon fastener, makes it possible.“We attach a big piece of Velcro to the neck and the shoulders of the bull,” said Borba, explaining a method that he says first crossed his mind 20 years ago. “The points of the decorated darts known as banderillas are also wrapped with Velcro so that they hang off the animal during the contest without causing injury.”In a normal bullfight, the darts are thrust into the bull’s neck or shoulders during a fight. The Velcro – rows of matching hooks and clinging pile used for many garments – means the bull’s skin need not be punctured.Bullfighting has been banned in the United States since 1957 – with one exception.The sizeable Portuguese community which emigrated from the Azores to California in the 19th and 20th century is permitted to continue the time-honoured tradition at religious festivals, provided those taking part promise not to harm the animals.In Spain the animals are stabbed by riders bearing lances before they are finally killed by the matador, but the Portuguese style of bullfighting is altogether less brutal, said Portugal expert Elmano Costa of Turlock University.The Portuguese matadors tease the animal with banderillos and chase the bull until it sinks to the ground in exhaustion, but they do not kill it. The “gentle” Californian method does away with pointed sticks altogether.“This bloodless fighting has made me a much better matador,” said Borba.He explains that the animals have more stamina and strength when they do not lose blood or get injured. On the other hand, Borba has suffered his fair share of broken bones, bruises and wounds of various kinds over the years.Every summer in Central Valley, around two hours by car from San Francisco, as many as 20 bullfights are staged. For the 350,000 or so Portuguese Americans roots every contest is a spectacle.Incongruously, the tiny village of Stevinson, home to just 155 people, has a bullfighting arena with space for 3,000 spectators.There’s no blood to be seen but the bulls are as aggressive and dangerous as they are in traditional bullfights held in Spain and Mexico.In many cases the bulls, which can weigh up to half a ton, and the matadors are imported from these countries to the U.S. West Coast. After surviving the bullfights the animals are often used for stud purposes, sold to rodeo shows or else end up at the abattoir.Dennis Borba learnt his bullfighting skills in Mexico where the blood in the arena flows freely.He still earns a living in South America this way but he prefers to take trips to Costa Rica, Canada and California, the only places where the gentle way with bulls is permitted.If Borba has his way many more bulls will live to fight another day and he hopes the whole world will one day adopt his Velcro method.
