The True Story of Bright Eyes

by Steve Hindi

SHARK president Steve Hindi was part of the undercover team that documented the torture killing of twenty-eight bulls in Mexico in 1998. Bright Eyes was the fourth of four bulls slaughtered at Steve's first bullfight.

People call them fighting bulls, but I saw no fight in this beautiful young black bull as he stood with three companions in a pen in Mexico City, Mexico. The expression on his face reminded me of one of my kitties, "Prince Paka," when I pet him on his nose; something he enjoys immensely. Like Paka, this young bull was quiet and relaxed, friendly and nonthreatening.

He stood out from his companions with down turned horns that gave him the disarming appearance of a puppy dog with big floppy ears. But what really made this youngster stand out was his unique eyes, shiny and inquisitive. He watched me and came a little closer as I stood right by the wall that divided us.

You are "Bright Eyes," I told him. He seemed to like the name. People yelled at me in Spanish to get away from him because he was dangerous. "Peligroso," they said. I wondered what the Spanish word for "ridiculous" was.

A short time later, a group of men chased Bright Eyes and his companions into individual isolation stalls. I was amazed that these "fighting bulls" never tried to attack the men who were harassing them. The bulls ran from the men, doing everything possible to avoid them.

For many hours, Bright Eyes and the other bulls were deprived of light, food, water and the company of his herd, causing him to become confused, terrified and physically and mentally weakened. As each bull's time came to go to the bullring, he was first harpooned to further wound and cripple him even before entering the bullring.

But what happened afterward only got worse.