The Bull enjoyed an intense period of adulation during the Commonwealth Games as the Birmingham Public took the Bull to their hearts.  Standing tall next to the Central Library, the Bull became the main attraction in Centenary Square.  I visited the square several times with the family.  Whether you were young or old everyone loved the Bull.  However, rumblings about its future began to surface as we learnt that it was not going to be a permanent fixture.  There was an open debate what would happen after the Commonwealth Games were over.  My blog account of that first day when the bull was moved to Centenary Square after that amazing opening ceremony, shows how much it was loved.  There was much discussion about the future and the decision was to keep the Bull on show till the end of September.  

On the hour during the games, there was an amazing display from the Bull. The animatronics included leg movement, shaking of the head and smoke coming out of the nostrils.  All this ceased as the team who operated the internal levers and controls moved onto other contract work in the UK.  The Bull remained standing proud and was admired by the many visitors who came to Birmingham.  Then not quite at the end of September, the Bull was moved from the square.  It quickly transpired that its new home was a piece of waste ground in Ladywood near to the Birmingham canal navigations.  There were coverings over the structure to protect it from the elements.  Protection is needed as the Bull is of mixed construction with a metal outer skin, but internal organs made of foam and electronics.  Within its centre was a telehandler, a type of tractor that enabled the bull to be moved around.

So how is the Bull these days?  My pictures reveal life as a Bull in Birmingham after the Commonwealth games.  The Bull stands alone by the canal behind barbed wire, covered with a tarpaulin. There is a single security guard on duty.  My pictures show it is lonely and that people do not know it is around.  My picture of the lonely bull with the couple passing by captured the imagination of Instagram and it was featured by BirminghamLive bringing its plight to the attention of the whole of Birmingham.