Why Do Bulls Hate the Red Color ?

Bulls are partially color blind compared to healthy humans so that they cannot see red.

We’ve always been told not to stand in front of a bull when sporting a red dress, or something of red color and also you have seen cartoons and TV shows with bullfighters waving red capes ahead of a bull to make it charge, you understand that bulls must extremely hate the color red.

Do Bulls Really Hate the Color Red?

Bulls are literally color blind for red and green. Bulls, similar to other cattle, can’t differentiate between red and green colors. Bullfighters, referred to as matadors, use a small red cape, known as a muleta, during a bullfight.

Thus, the bull is probably going irritated not by the muleta’s color, but by the cape’s movement as the bullfighter whips it around.

Moreover, the bulls utilized in bullfights are from an awfully aggressive breed and they’re raised in a manner that any unexpected movements can make these bulls angry and make them attack.

Still not believed!!! Take a look at the reaction of bulls with other colors:

In 2007, the Discovery Channel’s story Busters tested a live bull on color versus movement in 3 separate experiments.

First, they place 3 stationary flags that were red, blue and white, within the bull’s enclosure. The bull charged all 3 flags regardless of color. Next, they place 3 dummies wearing red, blue and white within the ring, and once more the bull charged all 3 without discrimination.

Therefore, if a person is wearing red and is standing still and another person wearing the other color begins moving in front of the bull, the bull can attack the person in white – the one who is moving.

Why bullfighter capes are always RED?

A red-colored cape is used purely as a matter of tradition. In fact, there are three stages in bullfighting and therefore the red cape is just used in the last stage.

Similarly, that sports teams always wear the same colors, the red capes are seen as a part of the bullfighting uniform.

Why do matadors kill bulls?

While there are some non-lethal bullfights, in most cases the bull is killed by the bullfighter within the end. The red color of the muleta thus helps to hide the sight of the bull's blood.