Julio Aparicio GORED IN THROAT During Bullfight (GRAPHIC PHOTOS)

WARNING: EXTREMELY GRAPHIC PHOTOS BELOW

Julio Aparicio, one of Spain's most famous matadors, was gored in the throat today during a bullfight. The horrific injury has left him in critical condition:

"[The horn] went though the tongue and penetrated the roof of the mouth, fracturing the jawbone," one of the medics who worked on Aparicio told AFP news in Madrid.

[UPDATE: After two operations, it appears leading surgeon Maximo Garcia Pedros has saved Aparicio's life. The bull, however, was quickly killed by other matadors.]

The incident took place during the Festival of Saint Isidro, considered to be the most important event in the bullfighting calendar, at the Plaza de Toros las Ventas bullring, which can seat up to 24,000 people.

Scroll down for photos and video of the goring. WARNING: they are not for the faint of heart.

Comments

[SportsChump]

12:21 PM on 07/06/2010

Now that he's better, we're having a little fun with at Julio's expense with a caption contest at http://sportschump.net/2010/07/06/caption-contest-celebrates-spain-the-world-cup-bullfighting-julio-aparicio-and-the-bull-that-got-the-upper-hand/4032/

[njp49]

12:03 PM on 07/02/2010

Let's see. The animal's eyes are covered...it has been stabbed...it is bleeding...and whatever else they do to these poor souls. And then he was killed. I say the matador should have died as well. Until we treat all living beings with respect, our mongrel mentality will continue.

[LeftyLucy]

11:26 PM on 06/22/2010

I have to agree!

[josabagodonuts]

12:22 PM on 06/14/2010

you guys are ridiculous. your all going to get what you deserve sonn too

[SpringEternal]

10:04 AM on 06/11/2010

I have NO sympathy for this human. I feel so bad for the bull, at least now he is not being tortured anymore by uncaring people looking to get a kick out of torturing bulls.

[Free Beer Party]

01:08 PM on 06/09/2010

They should have put the bull out to stud. We need more like him.

[KBrownBear]

12:07 PM on 06/09/2010

He got exactly what he had coming! This is animal abuse at its worst. What else was the bull supposed to do? He'd already been stabbed repeatedly and was in pain and angry. He was only defending himself. Bullfighting is a cowardly "sport" and should be banned forever. And for what? The bull was killed. I have absolutely no sympathy for the man...he got what he deserved; unfortunatly the bull did not. For shame you cowards!

[Kristi Stevens]

12:59 AM on 07/01/2010

I agree with you 100 million % KBrownBear and SpringEternal. I think he got what was coming to him. How would the matadors like it if they were repeatedly stabbed?... I think matadors are just as cowardice as murders. It's pathetic to me and makes me sick.

[sennauno]

10:49 PM on 06/08/2010

LOL @ comments

Aparicio got what was coming but odds on he'll continue what he loves doing. Like my grandfather once said 'Like a general dying with honour on the battlefiled, the bull will die in the bullring'.

You foreigners can continue killing animals in your 'humane' abbatoirs thats ok

[PeeDee123]

05:28 PM on 06/07/2010

Aww, the poor little sod had to be rushed out of the killing pit by his little helpers. Why can't the bull be allowed to finish him off...

[PeeDee123]

05:24 PM on 06/07/2010

Brilliant, I only wish a few more of the sickos could be gored and with a bit of luck, die as painfully as the poor innocent bull.

[Olja Kaludjerovic]

07:01 PM on 06/05/2010

what i see here is just a poor bull defending himself!
wtf?look at the poor animal...what did they put on his back?O.o

[Deb Kauzlarich]

02:09 PM on 06/04/2010

What goes around comes around.

[rheuer111]

10:11 AM on 06/04/2010

that poor bull. bullfighting is such a perversion that tries to make killing some kind of bizarre and cruel art form.

[Heather Kolaya-Spealman]

01:37 PM on 06/03/2010

I gotta say.. he completely deserved it.

[rheuer111]

09:56 AM on 06/04/2010

agrreed. the torero consented to this deathmatch - not so with the bull.

killing should not be an art form.

[Selamectin]

12:25 PM on 06/03/2010

Wow, those are some pretty horrible pictures. I'm surprised the bull got something in with how drugged and tortured he is.