Ratón
Encyclopedia
Ratón is a Spanish fighting bull that has been nicknamed el toro asesino (the killer bull), el sangriento toro (the bloody bull) and el terrible Ratón (the terrible Mouse) for killing three people in bullfighting
rings in Spain between 2006–2011 and injuring thirty more. The bull has become legendary in Spain due to the large number of gorings for which he has been responsible. Bullfighting fans regard him as a star and travel from across the country to see the morlaco (big bull) at his home at Sueca
near Valencia. Matador
Jesús Esteve says of Ratón: "He is a killer. He is lazy, he doesn't want to participate. He does his own thing, waiting for somebody to make a mistake. And then when he gets you, he wallops you, and he doesn't let up."
Due to Ratón's fame, bullfighting clubs have paid exceptionally high fees of up to €15,000 to feature him in their events. In 2010, for instance, the municipality of Ricla
hosted Ratón during a festival in honour of St. Mary Magdalene
, paying €9,000 – nine times the normal fee for a fighting bull. The bull's fame is so great that, as in the case of the Ricla fiesta, he has been given star billing on advertisements. Although the organisers have to pay very high fees to see Ratón perform, the bull's owner asserts that the outlay is worth it: "[H]e works out the cheapest because wherever he goes organizers double the ticket price."
, in 2004. As well as participating in bull running in the streets (encierros in Spanish), Ratón has also often performed in the recortes, a style of bullfighting in which members of the public dodge the bull around obstacles such as wooden stairs or platforms placed in a bullring. At one such event held in Museros
in 2005, Ratón gored a dozen people and injured several more in another event at Yátova
in 2006.
Ratón took his first life on 9 August 2006 during Sagunto
's festival, when he gored a 56-year-old man from León
more than ten times. The killing was caught on video and was viewed on the Internet by hundreds of thousands of people. It made Ratón an instant star, and his owner was flooded with requests from bullfighting clubs. Bulls that have killed people are classified as muy buenos (very good); fiestas starring such bulls attract more people than usual, and bullfighting clubs will pay more money to exhibit them.
Ráton's second kill was made in 2008 in the arena of Benifairó near Valencia when he attacked a 27-year-old amateur matador, catching the man only two feet from safety. After hitting the man from behind, Ratón threw him in the air several times before leaving him trampled in the ring with fatal injuries.
The bull claimed his third victim in Xàtiva
on 13 August 2011, killing a 29-year-old man who had jumped into the arena while drunk. A video played repeatedly on Spanish television showed the unnamed man being lifted on the bull's horns before being thrown to the ground and attacked. He later died in hospital. The man's death prompted controversy; Valencian regional politician Marina Albiol accused the event organisers of "grave irresponsibility" for hiring a bull with such a record. She called the show "cruel and dangerous to animals and people" and said that it should not receive any public funding. The mayor of Sueca, Salvador Campillo, expressed regret at the death but said that it did not justify Sueca "no longer seeing its most famous bull". He supported plans to bring Ratón to an event in the town in September 2011 and said that the show would be well controlled and that drunken participants would be kept out.
The bull has been lightly worked compared to other fighting bulls; whereas his counterparts are usually on tour all year, Ratón's appearances have been limited to ten a year and only in regions where bullfighting regulations do not require the animal to be killed after the fight. At 10 years old, Ratón's age is equivalent to that of a 60-year-old human. He was due to retire in 2010, but due to demand from fans and municipalities organising fiestas, his owner, Gregorio de Jesús, decided to prolong the bull's career. De Jesús felt that he could not refuse because of the economic plight of Spain's farmers. In 2010, de Jésus proposed that Ratón be cloned and asked for financial assistance from the Generalitat Valenciana
, but although he was told that the government would consider the request, no decision was made.
in Mexico. After hanging up his sword in 1993, he retired to Sueca, where he grows oranges and rice as well as breeding cattle. He compares Ratón to the boxer Muhammad Ali
: "He is agile, smart, fast. Very high-spirited. He's not a brute, not like other bulls that act on instinct and crash into everything. This one thinks, analyzes, and then attacks." Responding to criticism that Ratón has "nothing special", de Jesús notes that great sporting figures have always had their detractors: "They doubt Raúl
[the footballer], but there are his goals. With Ratón the same thing happens, his performances will live on."
De Jesús attributes Ratón's unusual deadliness to the bull's physique and action in the ring: "Ratón is a very agile bull, with long limbs, which greatly facilitates his actions on the stage, bench and pyramid. He attacks with short and repetitive thrusts at the same time as swinging the head to the left and right, causing all his victims a much higher number of injuries than normal in these cases." According to de Jesús, Ratón's savage temperament may derive from an early trauma when children locked the young bull in the dark for hours. The animal was shaking when de Jesús found him, and since then, says the farmer, Ratón has always had a bad temper.
Bullfighting
Bullfighting is a traditional spectacle of Spain, Portugal, southern France and some Latin American countries , in which one or more bulls are baited in a bullring for sport and entertainment...
rings in Spain between 2006–2011 and injuring thirty more. The bull has become legendary in Spain due to the large number of gorings for which he has been responsible. Bullfighting fans regard him as a star and travel from across the country to see the morlaco (big bull) at his home at Sueca
Sueca
Sueca is a city in eastern Spain in the Valencian Community. It is situated on the left bank of the river Xúquer. The town of Sueca is separated from the Mediterranean Sea 11 km to the east by the Serra de Cullera, though the municipality possesses 7 km of Mediterranean coastline...
near Valencia. Matador
Matador
A torero or toureiro is a bullfighter and the main performer in bullfighting, practised in Spain, Colombia, Portugal, Mexico, France and various other countries influenced by Spanish culture. In Spanish, the word torero describes any of the performers who actively participate in the bullfight...
Jesús Esteve says of Ratón: "He is a killer. He is lazy, he doesn't want to participate. He does his own thing, waiting for somebody to make a mistake. And then when he gets you, he wallops you, and he doesn't let up."
Due to Ratón's fame, bullfighting clubs have paid exceptionally high fees of up to €15,000 to feature him in their events. In 2010, for instance, the municipality of Ricla
Ricla
Ricla is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 2,653 inhabitants.-External links:*...
hosted Ratón during a festival in honour of St. Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons", conventionally interpreted as referring to complex illnesses...
, paying €9,000 – nine times the normal fee for a fighting bull. The bull's fame is so great that, as in the case of the Ricla fiesta, he has been given star billing on advertisements. Although the organisers have to pay very high fees to see Ratón perform, the bull's owner asserts that the outlay is worth it: "[H]e works out the cheapest because wherever he goes organizers double the ticket price."
Career
Born in April 2001, the 500 kg (1,102.3 lb) bull was the offspring of a bull named Caracol and a cow named Fusilera. He was given his name for his diminutive size as a calf. He first appeared in the bullring in September 2002 and gored a matador for the first time in Canals, ValenciaCanals, Valencia
Canals is a municipality in the comarca of Costera in the Valencian Community, Spain.Limits with l'Alcúdia de Crespins, Cerdà, la Granja de la Costera, Xàtiva, Llanera de Ranes, Montesa, Torrella and Vallés and with Aielo de Malferit and l'Olleria .- Geography :Situated in Montesa's valley, between...
, in 2004. As well as participating in bull running in the streets (encierros in Spanish), Ratón has also often performed in the recortes, a style of bullfighting in which members of the public dodge the bull around obstacles such as wooden stairs or platforms placed in a bullring. At one such event held in Museros
Museros
Museros is a municipality in the comarca of Horta Nord in the Valencian Community, Spain....
in 2005, Ratón gored a dozen people and injured several more in another event at Yátova
Yátova
Yátova is a municipality in the comarca of Hoya de Buñol in the Valencian Community, Spain....
in 2006.
Ratón took his first life on 9 August 2006 during Sagunto
Sagunto
Sagunto or Sagunt is an ancient city in Eastern Spain, in the modern fertile comarca of Camp de Morvedre in the province of Valencia. It is located in a hilly site, c. 30 km north of Valencia, close to the Costa del Azahar on the Mediterranean Sea...
's festival, when he gored a 56-year-old man from León
León, Spain
León is the capital of the province of León in the autonomous community of Castile and León, situated in the northwest of Spain. Its city population of 136,985 makes it the largest municipality in the province, accounting for more than one quarter of the province's population...
more than ten times. The killing was caught on video and was viewed on the Internet by hundreds of thousands of people. It made Ratón an instant star, and his owner was flooded with requests from bullfighting clubs. Bulls that have killed people are classified as muy buenos (very good); fiestas starring such bulls attract more people than usual, and bullfighting clubs will pay more money to exhibit them.
Ráton's second kill was made in 2008 in the arena of Benifairó near Valencia when he attacked a 27-year-old amateur matador, catching the man only two feet from safety. After hitting the man from behind, Ratón threw him in the air several times before leaving him trampled in the ring with fatal injuries.
The bull claimed his third victim in Xàtiva
Xàtiva
Xàtiva is a town in eastern Spain, in the province of Valencia, on the right bank of the river Albaida and at the junction of the Valencia–Murcia and Valencia Albacete railways....
on 13 August 2011, killing a 29-year-old man who had jumped into the arena while drunk. A video played repeatedly on Spanish television showed the unnamed man being lifted on the bull's horns before being thrown to the ground and attacked. He later died in hospital. The man's death prompted controversy; Valencian regional politician Marina Albiol accused the event organisers of "grave irresponsibility" for hiring a bull with such a record. She called the show "cruel and dangerous to animals and people" and said that it should not receive any public funding. The mayor of Sueca, Salvador Campillo, expressed regret at the death but said that it did not justify Sueca "no longer seeing its most famous bull". He supported plans to bring Ratón to an event in the town in September 2011 and said that the show would be well controlled and that drunken participants would be kept out.
The bull has been lightly worked compared to other fighting bulls; whereas his counterparts are usually on tour all year, Ratón's appearances have been limited to ten a year and only in regions where bullfighting regulations do not require the animal to be killed after the fight. At 10 years old, Ratón's age is equivalent to that of a 60-year-old human. He was due to retire in 2010, but due to demand from fans and municipalities organising fiestas, his owner, Gregorio de Jesús, decided to prolong the bull's career. De Jesús felt that he could not refuse because of the economic plight of Spain's farmers. In 2010, de Jésus proposed that Ratón be cloned and asked for financial assistance from the Generalitat Valenciana
Generalitat Valenciana
The Generalitat Valenciana is the generic name covering the different self government institutions under which the Spanish autonomous community of Valencia is politically organised....
, but although he was told that the government would consider the request, no decision was made.
Ratón's owner
Ratón's owner Gregorio de Jesús is a former matador who fought at the Plaza de Toros Monumental de AguascalientesPlaza de Toros Monumental de Aguascalientes
Plaza de Toros Monumental de Aguascalientes is a bullring in the city of Aguascalientes, Mexico. It is currently used for bull fighting and concerts. The stadium holds 16,000 people and it was inaugurated on November 23, 1974 . Its currently the 4th largest bullring in Mexico.-External links:**...
in Mexico. After hanging up his sword in 1993, he retired to Sueca, where he grows oranges and rice as well as breeding cattle. He compares Ratón to the boxer Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
: "He is agile, smart, fast. Very high-spirited. He's not a brute, not like other bulls that act on instinct and crash into everything. This one thinks, analyzes, and then attacks." Responding to criticism that Ratón has "nothing special", de Jesús notes that great sporting figures have always had their detractors: "They doubt Raúl
Raúl González
Raúl González Blanco , known simply as Raúl, is a Spanish footballer who plays as a striker. He currently plays for German club Schalke 04....
[the footballer], but there are his goals. With Ratón the same thing happens, his performances will live on."
De Jesús attributes Ratón's unusual deadliness to the bull's physique and action in the ring: "Ratón is a very agile bull, with long limbs, which greatly facilitates his actions on the stage, bench and pyramid. He attacks with short and repetitive thrusts at the same time as swinging the head to the left and right, causing all his victims a much higher number of injuries than normal in these cases." According to de Jesús, Ratón's savage temperament may derive from an early trauma when children locked the young bull in the dark for hours. The animal was shaking when de Jesús found him, and since then, says the farmer, Ratón has always had a bad temper.