PHOTO: Death-defying dive over a raging bull

Daring ‘rectadores’ dodge death by leaping over charging bulls at the annual El Pilar fair in Zaragoza, Spain. Unlike matadors, who use a cape and sword, these brave men don’t try to kill the beast and are only allowed to fly through the air using a pole.

The recortadores bullfight is part of an ancient tradition where the men try to avoid being given a mauling. The bullfighters who get closest to the bull and show less fear than their competitors are the winners. The bulls are not killed during this type of bullfight. Some anti-bullfighting campaigners do not oppose this practice, believing that it isn’t a form of animal cruelty.

Recortadoresfacts

The origins. Increasingly widespread throughout Spain, the celebrations of the ‘recortadores’ is part of the history of bullfighting.

The recortadores. The recortador is a bullfighter who performs pirouettes before dodging the bull using only their body or some simple aid such as a pole.