Crowd Applauded as Matador Wiped Bull's Eyes, Then Killed It

There was applause from the crowd in Spain when a bullfighter wiped a bull's eyes before killing it on Friday. But reaction online was different and plentiful once videos of the encounter in Seville went viral. "Morante de la Puebla took a handkerchief out of his pocket to dry the tears of the bull he had been torturing for half an hour," read one post, per Newsweek. "This borders on psychopathy, it's a sick sadism." Bullfighting fans said de la Puebla was merely showing respect, in a way that other matadors have done, the Daily Mail reports. Blood can be seen on the bullfighter's hand.

Spain remains divided on bullfighting. A 2014-15 government survey estimated that more than 9 percent of the population has attended a bullfight, per Newsweek, an increase from a few years before. Fans consider it integral to Spanish culture, per the Mirror, but many people want it outlawed; bullfighting has been banned in some parts of the country. Bullfighting code requires the matador taunt the bull with his cape before sticking sharp swords into the animal to anger it. The bull is then killed with a thrust to its neck to honor its bravery. (More bullfighting stories.)