FUJAIRAH: There’s no matador, betting or blood when bulls lock horns in the Gulf emirate of Fujairah, but a winning beast in the popular sport can still earn its owner a fortune.
Bullfights are a weekly event at a ring close to the beach on the east coast of the United Arab Emirates.
While it’s believed 16th century Portuguese invaders introduced bullfighting to the Gulf, Fujairah’s version pits two bulls against one another instead of man against beast.
And unlike at bull-on-bull tournaments in Southeast Asia, spectators place no bets — Islamic tradition and Emirati laws forbid it.
A fight lasts just minutes, ending when one of the bulls gives up or is pushed back by its rival to the roar of a commentator’s voice over loudspeakers.
Upon his word, more than a dozen barefooted handlers use ropes to pull the bulls apart before the next bout kicks off.
“Dr. Thomas and Jackson,” says the commentator, introducing the next pair of animals to lock horns.
Despite soaring temperatures, local families and tourists gather around the fenced bull-ring. Some sit atop SUVs, cracking seeds and sipping juice.
Around 80 bulls take part in the hours-long contest. The winning bull in each round is decided by a committee of judges formed of eight local elders.
There are no cash prizes for the owners.
But the value of a winning bull can shoot up in price, attracting offers by traders, some of whom drive in from nearby Oman where the sport is even more popular.
“When a bull is always distinct — winning against other bulls — its price can reach 600,000 dirhams,” said Hamad Al-Matrushi, an elderly committee member and bull-owner.
“But the price of a bull which sometimes performs well and other times not so well would go down to around 120,000 or 80,000 dirhams,” he said.
Bloodless bullfights earn Gulf owners big bucks
Bloodless bullfights earn Gulf owners big bucks
Mick Jagger’s fiancee ‘physically attacked’ at exclusive London club
- Melanie Hamrick, 38, dined with a friend before heading to private members’ club Annabel’s in Berkeley Square, Mayfair, where the incident happened
- The author, choreographer and former ballerina has been in a relationship with the 82-year-old Rolling Stones singer since 2014 and they have a 9-year-old son together
LONDON: Melanie Hamrick, Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger’s fiancee, said she was attacked at an elite and exclusive private member’s club in Mayfair, central London.
The 38-year-old said the incident on Tuesday at Annabel’s in Berkeley Square had left her heartbroken and shaken.
In a message posted later that night on Instagram, she wrote: “This is incredibly hard to share, but I was physically attacked at Annabel’s Mayfair tonight.
“I’m so thankful to my friends for protecting me. Two people grabbed me from behind and thank God for the good people who stepped in to help me.
“I’m shaken, sad and heartbroken that people can treat each other this way.”
The message was deleted a few hours after it appeared.
Hamrick has been in a relationship with 82-year-old Jagger since 2014, and she confirmed in April last year that they became engaged about two or three years earlier. They have a son, Deveraux, who was born in 2016.
Hamrick is a choreographer, author and former ballerina who performed with the American Ballet Theatre for 15 years before retiring in 2019.
Before the incident on Tuesday, she had dined with a socialite friend, Emma Thynn, before heading to Annabel’s. Sources at the venue said staff were not notified of an attack. The Metropolitan Police said it had not receive any report of an incident, the Daily Mail newspaper reported.
The incident is believed to have taken place outside of the club. In the past few weeks there has been a series of daytime heists targeting luxury goods stores across London. It is not known if the incident involving Hamrick was related to these.
However, the area around the prestigious Berkeley Square has become one of the worst in London, and even in Europe, for robberies and street crime, the Daily Mail said. Official figures show that people in the area were 30 times more likely to fall victim to crime compared with those in other parts of the city, the newspaper added.
Numbers of thefts and robberies, mainly of mobile phones, have tripled in London over the past four years, with tens of thousands of reported cases, particularly in the upmarket Mayfair and St James’s areas.
Organized criminal gangs have reportedly been targeting high-value luxury brands such as Rolex and Yves Saint Laurent across London. Some visitors have even hired private security while visiting the city.
Last month, the Daily Mail reported that Tom Cruise, 63, had abruptly moved out of his £35 million ($47 million) luxury apartment in One Hyde Park, a high-rise in West London, over safety fears.
