Should all bullfighting be banned?

A sold-out crowd of nearly 20,000 recently gathered to see the last bullfight in Barcelona.

Though a bullfighting ban doesn't take effect until January 1, 2012, three of Spain's top matadors executed their final show for a Catalan audience on Sunday, September 25.

The Catalan government instituted the ban after a petition was circulated calling the sport barbaric.

The ban divided opinion in Catalan and the rest of Spain, as supporters of bullfighting likened it to the loss of a storied tradition.

"For a city like Barcelona to close this arena is like throwing a Picasso painting into the garbage," a fan at the final show told the AFP news agency.

Animal rights advocates would like to see the ban extend into the rest of mainland Spain, though they anticipate a tougher battle in areas like Madrid and Andalucia where a history of bullfighting permeates large parts of the culture. more