Mexico City’s local congress on Tuesday passed a measure aiming to make bullfights much less harmful to bulls and matadors, a move applauded by animal rights activists but sharply criticized by fans of the centuries-old tradition.

Mexico City lawmakers overwhelmingly approve legislation to keep the bullfighting tradition alive, while also keeping the bulls alive.

Mexico City's Congress has voted to ban traditional bullfights. The ban on Tuesday, March 18, of what Congress calls "violent bullfights" brings in "new rules with immediate effect that ban the killing of bulls inside or outside the ring," a press release from Humane World for Animals Mexico reads.