An initiative of the Peruvian political group Podemos Perú has proposed to declare bullfighting and cockfighting an “art” of “national interest,” and therefore protecting it from future attempts to ban these cruel activities in the country.
The legislative bench of the right-wing political party Podemos Peru, through congressmen Juan Burgos, José Luna, Enrique Wong and Óscar Zea, presented Bill No. 02828/2022-CR on 17th August 2022, which aims to recognise the activity of bullfighting and cockfighting as “cultural manifestations.” The Bill is currently being scrutinised by the Culture and Cultural Heritage Commission of the Congress of Peru.
This congressional initiative not only asks to declare these forms of public animal abuse as national and artistic interests, but also to guarantee their protection and development, based on a framework of the fundamental right of access to culture.
The articles of the bill say, “The recognition, protection and breeding of livestock breeds of bullfighting cattle and combat cocks as breeds of Peru, which contribute to cultural, touristic and economic development at the local, regional and national levels, are declared of national interests.”
Peru has an Animal Protection and Welfare Law (Law No. 30407), which was enacted in 2016, and punishes acts of cruelty, abandonment and death of domestic and wild animals. How can this law be compatible with the new bill is only an example of speciesism, where some animals are discriminated against because of the species or group they belong to. If this bill is approved, Peru will be showing that is going against the trend of other Latin American countries that are advancing toward a prohibition of bullfighting. Colombia and Venezuela are very close to achieving this, and Mexico has made great advances.
