Does the colour red actually arouse anger in bulls?

If you happen to come across a bull, you instantly look at the colour of the clothes you are wearing fearing that if it is red, the bull may charge at you. That is because our minds are fed with the notion that bulls charge at the sight of red. Well, that is not correct.  

In fact, bulls are colour-blind to red and is highly unlikely that they get irritated by the red colour. Rather, it is your body movement or the movement of your clothes that could turn them on.  

What makes bulls angry? 
Bullfighting is one of the popular customs in a few countries such as Spain and Portugal. People flock by the thousands to see a bullfighter (matador) wave his red cape (muleta) in front of a snorting bull. The bull sees the flaming, arrogant red colour and charges angrily towards it. Or so it may seem to you watching from the stands or on the television.  

But you are mistaken. It’s not the colour, but rather the movement of that red cape and the bullfighter that makes the bull angry. Many studies prove that if the cape was of any other colour, the bull will still charge at it. That is, if a bullfighter is dressed in red and is standing still and another bullfighter dressed in any other colour (say green) begins moving in front of the bull, the bull will most likely attack the bullfighter wearing green because he is moving. 

Also, the bulls used in bullfights are from a very aggressive breed and they’re raised in a way that any sudden movements would make these bulls angry and make them attack. 

Then, why is red colour used in bullfights? 
So, your obvious question would be that if a bull cannot see red, why is a red muleta used in bullfights? Well, a red-coloured cape is used purely as a matter of tradition. In fact, there are three stages in bullfighting and the red cape is only used in the last stage. The small cape comes out in the last stage of the bullfight when the bull meets its end, and its colour helps mask the blood of the bull as it is fended off by the matador. 

Fact file 

• The bulls are specifically bred for bullfighting. Bulls are actually calm and peaceful animals who behave violently only to defend themselves or their territory. For this reason, bulls must be bred for bullfighting.  
• Not all bulls are killed in the ring. A bullfight almost always ends with the matador killing off the bull with his sword. But sometimes if the bull may get saved after behaving particularly well during the fight. 
• The most common bull used in bullfights is the Spanish Fighting Bull (Toro Bravo), a type of cattle native to the Iberian Peninsula.  
• The biggest bullring in the world is Plaza México in Mexico.  
• Bullfighting is banned in many countries by law because of the danger it poses to the participants.