Staff Reporter
THE first running of the bulls at the world-famous Sanfermines fiestas took place on Sunday morning, with the streets of Pamplona packed out with runners and moments of danger during an unusually long run, lasting four minutes and seven seconds.
Initial reports from ambulance crews on the scene said that there were six people injured during the run, one of whom had a serious head injury.
Another of the casualties suffered an injury to the face, but it was at least not caused by contact with one of the bulls’ horns.
The first of the pack of animals – made up of six fighting bulls, and six tame steers – reached the pens in the bullring – marking the end of the run – in a record time of two minutes and six seconds.
But the herd had spread out during their journey through the streets of Pamplona, and the last two animals to reach the ring, two of the fighting bulls, took their route into their own hands (or hooves).
Rather than following the steers into the pens, they began to run around the ring, as the many runners who were inside took evasive action.
Announcements over the PA system in the ring instructed the runners to let the professionals, armed with capes, do their job and help shepherd the bulls into the pen.
But many ignored those instructions, and tried to touch the bulls as they ran around the ring, putting themselves in danger.
In fact, one of the runners endangered one of the professionals, as the two ran from a bull at the same time and tripped each other up.
Finally, just as the stopwatch hit four minutes and seven seconds, the last of the animals from La Palmosilla breeder disappeared into the pens and the first run of Sanfermines 2024 was over.
The six fighting bulls – who weigh between 505 and 630 kilos, according to a report in El Pais – will be fought later today in the ring.
Sanfermines is held every year from July 6 to 14, and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world, with as many as a million people attending over the nine days.
The running of the bulls through the streets of Pamplona originated in the late 16th century as a way to transport the animals into the city to be later fought in the ring.
