Blood sports using large mammals persist in some regions as cultural traditions. The welfare evidence for the suffering they cause supports legislative prohibition.
Blood sports involving large mammals cause suffering that is deliberate, prolonged, and the central feature of the entertainment rather than an accidental byproduct. In bullfighting, bulls are subjected to progressive blood loss and exhaustion designed to weaken them for the kill, causing acute pain and fear that lasts minutes to hours. Bears used in baiting have had defensive weapons removed, rendering them helpless. The cultural heritage argument for retaining blood sports is frequently cited but rarely examined: cultural practices that cause demonstrable suffering have been successfully abolished throughout history, and polls consistently show that majorities even within countries practicing blood sports favor abolition or restriction.