Seven people have been rushed to hospital on the third day of Pamplona’s San Fermin Festival in Spain.
As reported by Metro, a total of seven men - six Spanish nationals and one man from France - required hospital treatment following Saturday morning's bull run.
The news comes after protesters and animal rights activists took to the streets of Pamplona on Tuesday to march against what many believe to be an archaic tradition of the Spanish culture.
Some of the protesters were wearing dinosaur outfits and were holding signs reading "bullfighting is prehistoric".
The festival has been on hiatus over the last two years as a result of the pandemic, but Saturday morning's "encierro" (run) once again saw thousands of people running through the narrow and cobblestoned streets of the city to avoid six large bulls and six oxen.
Despite initial reports that two of the men had been gored, it has emerged that none of the men were seriously hurt and are all expected to make a full recovery.
However, a handful of the runners were stomped on and/or knocked down by the animals.
Metro reports that after the three-minute run, the bulls will be killed in the afternoon by professional bullfighters.
Tuesday's protest was led by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the Spanish NGO AnimalNaturalis.
Per The Washington Post, PETA senior digital campaign officer Chelsea Monroe states: "Bullfighting is the long ritualized execution of bulls and many tourists who come to the bull-runs don’t actually realize that the same bulls they’re running down a couple of streets with are later killed in the bullring that day.
"They’re stabbed over and over again for 20 minutes until they’re dead," she said. "We want the tourists to know that their money is supporting this really cruel industry."
Additionally, Jana Uritz of AnimalNaturalis echoed these sentiments, saying in a statement: "The debate over the future of bullfighting in Spain has never been so alive and the authorities must take a clear stance. We demand the necessary courage from them to say whether they favor animal torture or, on the contrary, are ready to prohibit such barbarities."
Attracting thousands of people each year - from Spain and abroad - the San Fermin Festival dates back to the 12th century.
Many of the more seasoned bull runners will often run just feet ahead of the charging bulls, before attempting to avoid injury at the last moment.
