Renowned Spanish bullfighter, José Antonio Morante Camacho, known as Morante de la Puebla, suffered a severe injury during a bullfight at La Maestranza bullring in Seville. The incident occurred as Morante faced the bull ‘Clandestino’ during the April Fair event. The bull charged at Morante, causing him to fall and sustaining a 10cm gash from the animal’s horn, which pierced his rectum.
Video footage captured the moment the bull’s horn struck Morante’s buttock, leading to a visible tear in his clothing. Morante was in distress and had to be carried out of the ring by fellow bullfighters. Prior to this incident, Morante had already injured his ear in a separate bull-related mishap during the same event.
Following the incident, Morante underwent a two-hour surgical procedure at the bullring’s infirmary to treat the wound, which was described as a 10cm horn injury causing damage to his anal sphincter muscles and a rectal wall perforation of 1.5cm. The medical intervention involved repairing the rectal wall and sphincter apparatus, with a suction drain inserted post-surgery.
The unfortunate event has overshadowed the festival, causing concern for Morante’s recovery. This incident followed Morante’s symbolic act of cutting off his bullfighter’s coleta, a traditional pigtail, ahead of his return to bullfighting. Despite the setback, Morante had made a highly anticipated comeback to the ring, attracting a full audience of 12,000 spectators at the sold-out show.
