[Animals] bull

[WilkerCSBD]

His bravery characterizes him. His large horns and his body, which look like a locomotive, inspire respect, in some cases fear, in others courage. The fighting bull, which descends from the aurochs or wild bull of the Middle Ages, today makes its physical qualities known in bullfights or confinements, but for an animal of this type to be able to generate those emotions in a bullfighting show, they must first have take into account issues of parenting and feeding, in order to give continuity to a centuries-old tradition.
 
According to Luis Fernando Castro Botero, representative of Guachicono, one of the most important fighting bull herds in the country, one of the main aspects that must be taken into account for the breeding of copies of this breed is the climate, since these animals have trouble adapting to the tropics and developing resistance against ticks. (Read: Asotoros joined the Fighting Bull's Guild Chamber)
 
“The breeding of fighting bulls has gone to the highlands in order to avoid the possibilities of anaplasma transmitted by the tick, not counting the nuche that is eradicated in many areas of the country; however, in the areas where there is this plague, there must be strict control, ”said Castro Botero. 
According to the expert, the fighting cattle, especially the bulls that are going to be in the brave festival, must have proper management, otherwise they acquire vices that later manifest themselves in the bullfights.
 Some aftertastes come from tick baths, that is, if the person who applies the chemical only does it on one side, the animal will express it in the fight and it can sneak into the crutch or cape passes.
 
“Another important aspect is the correct diet. Many people believe that fighting cattle can be thrown onto a hill to eat stubble and if that happens it directly influences fertility and the cows stop cycling, giving birth annually; for that reason the nutrition must be in accordance with the requirements of the animal ", pointed out the farmer, for whom it is fundamental that the fighting males already being in the bullfights have an excellent presentation, both in the state of their meat, and in the development of their body and its antlers, because the essence of the show is the emotion that the public feels to see a bull charging. ”(Gallery: The ideal eleven: the best bovine team)
 
The key is in the selection
Luis Fernando began his fighting livestock activity in 1974, as part of the tradition of his family group. In 1981, a total of 30 cows and 2 stallions were imported from Toro y Estrella (Spain). Then the importation was eliminated and today they work with material from what they brought and using artificial insemination on a massive scale, because they only had 2 stallions with a guarantee.
 
“Artificial insemination has been interesting for the improvement of cattle, as it has happened in all breeds; We also take it into account to reuse bulls that have been important and that have died for 15 years, because they can provide some characteristics that livestock needs in a certain time, ”said Castro. 
In Guachicono there is a production of 60 males and 60 females per year and they are 760 meters above sea level. The owner of the cattle ranch also explained that in the Valle de Cauca there is a microclimate that does not fill the animal's make-up, that is, no animals with tall needles, which are long hands and legs, do not leave the bull, which would cause the bull to make the lunge difficult for him. In this region the animals preserve their fine workmanship, which facilitates the issue of performance in fighting and that also depends a lot on the land and the quality of the pastures with which they are fed. (Read: What kind of cattle breed would James, Yepes, Cuadrado and Ospina be?)
 
Then they get up and at 2 years of age the males transfer them to the Sabana de Bogotá and there the final part of raising and getting ready for bullfights takes place.
“In the case of females, we tempt them in Jamundí, Cali, (test the quality of the animal as if it were in a bullfight) and those that are suitable in the tests are returned to Guachicono. With those that have been discarded at this time, an interesting test is being carried out: they are crossed with Brahman and give an F1 that we topize and so far they have had a good development, body conformation, as if to consume young cattle meat, with good texture . This we have been able to verify as a result of a study carried out in Spain, which indicates that fighting cows that do not have bullfighting stress give an excellent quality and flavor of meat, with unsaturated acids, although in Colombia we are in diapers in that meaning ”, added Luis Fernando.
For the farmer, the secret for raising fighting bulls is to persevere; have a great knowledge of what you have, what you need; because there is always something to improve since there is no perfect livestock, that is why we always have to investigate more and more, especially with the effects of climate change.
 
“From the genetic point of view it is very important that the farmer does not allow the consanguinity of the herd to rise because if there are bulls that give very good characteristics, then all the cattle are excessively related, then a balance has to be maintained because imports from Spain are increasingly difficult, the producer has to think about the evolution of his herd for 30 years or more because if he does not eliminate himself, "said Castro Botero. (Read: Animal Health Committee will seek livestock eligibility of the country)
 
Finally, the owner of the Guachicono cattle ranch, and also a participant in many of the most important bullfights in the country, said that when handling bulls, the secret is not to treat them with cowhide or dog-dogs, that is, when he goes on horseback and the animals are herded as they do in the Llanos, with a whip.
 
 “It should be done with rods and on horseback, because when moving the arm with the strength up and down the bull is incited to attack, neither should they shout because they are animals that genetically respond to external stimuli, so they have to use oxen that they have bells on their necks, that they serve as guides because the bulls feel very alone and immediately attack, with that sound they get used to going behind the others, that is why in each herd there must be at least 6 oxen ", he pointed out. Luis Fernando Castro.