Bullfighters in Spain have asked the government for €700,000,000 (approximately USD 781,794,300) to save the 'sport' amid the Coronavirus (Covid 19) pandemic.

The country's current lockdown, which is expected to end on April 12 at the time of writing, has resulted in events including bullfights being canceled.

In a letter to José Manuel - Spain's Culture Minister - several pro-bullfighting organizations suggested taxpayer cash be used to refund tickets for cancelled shows, pay Matador's wages, cover vet bills - as well as requesting VAT further decreases.

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'The business of torturing animals for entertainment should never get public funding' Photo: Adobe. Do not use without permission

'Torturing animals'

Many locals took to social media to oppose the funding, including Animal Guardians' Marta Esteban.

According to Lad Bible, she said: "In a moment in which the rest of Spain is giving its all to help each other, the bullfighting world is thinking on how to get money from us to help themselves.

"The business of torturing animals for entertainment should never get public funding, much less now when the health system and helping the [neediest] should be the priority."

Bullfighting

Last year, it was revealed the number of bulls killed in Spanish bullrings over the last decade has plunged by 56 percent, according to animal-rights charity PETA.

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According to the stats, the number of bulls stabbed and killed dropped from approximately 16,000 (in 2008) to roughly 7,000 (in 2018), leading PETA to posit that the 'archaic spectacle has fallen out of favor with the majority of Spaniards and tourists'.