Man Gored to Death by Bull After Video Shows Him Taunting Animal During Controversial Bullfighting Festival in Colombia

A graphic video has emerged on social media of a bullfighter being gored to death in front of horrified onlookers moments after he was seen taunting the animal at a festival in Colombia.

Yovanis Márquez, 35, was one of dozens taking part in Saturday’s bullfighting festival in the small town of Fundación in the northern Colombian region of Magdalena when he was killed.

Márquez charges at the creature as part of the “corraleja,” or bullfighting festival, and tries to leap over it, but doesn’t clear the jump. The gruesome footage shows the bull instead attacking him multiple times and at one point, flinging Márquez in the air using its horns, as onlookers scream.

The following video is graphic in nature. Viewer discretion is advised.

The video shows him being helped to his feet and led away by spectators, but he later succumbed to his injuries, according to local reports. “He stood up as if he was fine, but the blood was flowing. It was only a few seconds before he fell to the ground,” one eyewitness told local news outlet El Tiempo.

Márquez was rushed to a nearby hospital but was declared dead on arrival, the outlet reported. “The man passed away yesterday after being gored by an injured bull, in an act of self-defense, during the ‘festivities’ of the municipality,” said Colombian animal rights group Plataforma ALTO, which shared video of the attack on social media.

Corralejas, a longstanding tradition in certain regions of Colombia, involve bullfighters engaging in daring challenges before large crowds. However, the events are increasingly viewed as outdated spectacles marked by animal cruelty and dangers to human participants. In 2024, Colombia’s parliament approved legislation to outlaw bullfighting, though the ban will not be fully implemented until 2027.