Following a complaint submitted on July 1, reporting the suspected death of a bull by drowning during a bullfight in Porto Judeu, PAN/Azores was recently informed by the Angra do Heroísmo Municipal Council and the Maritime Police that the complaint had been formally referred to the Regional Directorate for Agriculture, the competent authority for investigating administrative offenses.

Pedro Neves, spokesperson and regional deputy, states that “At this moment, PAN/Azores is monitoring the situation closely, with the firm expectation that the Regional Government of the Azores will act swiftly, transparently, and responsibly, given the seriousness of the situation we have reported.”

The party assures that the situation will not be forgotten and that it will monitor the process to ensure that the facts are thoroughly investigated, so that those responsible are held accountable. Sanctions are applied to offenders if it is found that legal and animal welfare regulations have been violated.

The PAN/Azores also states that, according to information provided by the Public Security Police within the scope of their powers, these are limited to traffic restrictions during this type of event, adding that they did not detect any infractions during the bullfight, which ended with the animal falling into the sea and presumably dying.

Finally, the party has been aware of several incidents and accidents that have occurred during this bullfighting season, from the escape of a fighting animal during a bullfight on a rope, to disturbances among the crowd, to the use of prohibited objects in bullfights, among others, highlighting the failures in compliance with the current legal framework.

In this regard, the escape of the fighting animal led to the filing of a report for infringement, which was sent to the Angra do Heroísmo City Council.

In Diário dos Açores-Paulo Viveiros, director