A bullish tradition kept alive in UAE

There are no matadors and there is no price money involved but the breeder will get the bragging rights for owning the strongest bull.

Bullfighting may not be as popular as the horse, saluki or falcon racing but it is a 60-year plus Bedouin tradition that has been kept alive by proud Emiratis and UAE residents.
Every Friday afternoon, except during Ramadan, cattle breeders bring their best and most robust bulls at a government-sanctioned arena near the Fujairah Corniche. This game is not as bloody as the bullfighting in Europe. There are no matadors and there is no price money involved but the breeder will get the bragging rights for owning the strongest bull.
"The objective of the game is to provide entertainment," Muhammed Al Mansouri, Emirati and Fujairah resident, told Khaleej Times. "There is no blood spilled during the fight. It is all about honour as well as a good family-friendly weekend activity."
Al Mansouri said the fight isn't long enough for the feisty bulls to seriously harm each other. Unlike in Spanish bullfighting, where a matador has to deliver fatal blows to the bull, Fujairah's bullfighting is more like bull-wrestling or head-butting, where two bulls lock horns in a three to four-minute fight that usually ends with no bloodshed.
"Of course, the bull's sharp horns can lead to cuts and injuries and sometimes they injure their heads and get bloody. But the cattle breeders and trainers are quick on their toes to separate the bulls lest the fight gets too intense," said Al Mansouri.
The rule of the game is simple: The bull, which forces the opponent to run away or back down, is declared the winner. If neither backs away, then it is a draw and around 10 men from each side will drag the bulls with ropes.
There is also a panel of jury which measures the bulls in terms of breed, weight and pedigree to set the pairings and the bullfighting takes place in an open area, roughly the size of six basketball courts, surrounded by a fence. A fight announcer provides colourful commentaries and the fans enjoy the spectacle from a safe distance as they watch it from their parked cars or at the area allotted for the spectators.
Bullfighting in Fujairah attracts a lot of spectators from across the UAE, neighbouring countries, and tourists from Europe and Asia. Merchants too are monitoring each fight as prices of some of the bulls, particularly the winning ones, can go as high as Dh250,000. The bulls are investments and their value increases the more they win.
angel@khaleejtimes.com