Spanish bullfighting audiences are shrinking as the unemployment rate grows and anti-bullfighting calls increase, according to a report Sunday by state-run Channel One television.
Bullfighting matches have been canceled in many cities, and fewer bulls are involved.
The owner of a bull farm told the station that it costs 4,000 euros to feed a bull from birth to death.
Taking into account the cost of breeding and training that one bull, the cost rises to 10,000 euros.
He has about 120 bulls on his farm.
That was enough to meet demand in previous years, but as orders have declined to just 30 bulls this year, the farm has become overcrowded.
He said 80 to 100 bulls are born annually.
As spring approaches, so comes mating season. To control the birthrate, breeders are pumping cows full of birth control medication.
That method, however, the owner said, isn't a long-term solution.
The end of the economic crisis, he hopes, will allow him to let his bulls and cows return to regular reproductive activities.