San Joaquin Valley bullfighting

Riding horseback, bullfighter Vitor Mendes sticks a bull with a nonlethal weapon: a bandarilha tipped with a Velcro strip that adheres to the animal. The so-called "bloodless" bullfight in Gustine, Calif., is one of many held from March to October in tiny towns across California's Central Valley. The no-kill bullfights highlight festivals in bullrings that have been built in the region over the decades. California banned gory bullfights in 1957 but allowed the mostly Portuguese immigrants from the Azores -- where the popular sport is bloodless -- to continue the tradition. The Velcro adaptation was added in 1980.