Francisco Rivera Ordonez faces a child abuse probe after sharing the photo, but other bullfighters have come to his defense.
A Spanish matador is under fire after posting an image showing him holding his five-month-old daughter while fighting a bull.
In Francisco Rivera Ordóñez's Instagram photo, he holds the little girl in one hand while waving a cape in front of a bull with the other.
Read: Three-Year-Old Rides 175-Pound Pit Bull Like A Pony And Loves It
"Carmen's debut," he wrote in Spanish in the caption. "She's the fifth generation of bullfighters in our family. My grandfather and my father were bullfighters. My father did this with me, and I have done it with my daughter Cayetana and now with Carmen."
He later shared a photo of his father, Francisco Rivera Paquirri, taking on a bull while a young Francisco sat on his shoulders.
"History repeats itself," he wrote in the caption. "The best legacy alive, feeling, purity, honor."
His father was fatally gored by a bull in 1984, when he was just 36. Francisco himself underwent life-saving surgery last year after a bull speared him in the stomach during a fight.
After he posted the photo, social media users called him "irresponsible."
"Beautiful image of Fran Rivera taking his daughter to 'work' with the torture of innocent animals," one Twitter user wrote.
The bullfighter responded: "She is never going to be safer than she is in my arms."
Read: Daycare Worker Convicted in 'Baby Fight Club' Case
In a show of support, other bullfighters posted images of themselves holding their children in the bullring.
“What’s the problem in showing our children a profession that we love and is filled with values?” bullfighter Manuel El Cordobés Díaz asked as he shared an image.
¿Dónde está el problema de enseñar a nuestros hijos una profesión que amamos y está llena de valores? pic.twitter.com/pYvH3qo9sH
— El Cordobés (@mdelcordobes) January 25, 2016
@mdelcordobes ,@ignapereletegui pic.twitter.com/0RylHc77t6
— antoniomartinmartin (@AntonioTorero) January 25, 2016
#libertad #respeto #SiALosNinosEnLosToros #SoyTaurino #OrgullosoDeSerTorero @Paquirri74 @mdelcordobes (en apoyo) pic.twitter.com/e1ElBY2dJk
— Julia Storm (@JuliaStorm10) January 25, 2016
The Child Protection Agency in Andalucia, where Francisco lives, is investigating whether he may have violated any child protection laws, the Times reported.
"If the photograph is a true image, we totally reject this," it wrote on Twitter as it shared the image. "We will gather information to analyze possible action."
Watch: Father Attacks His 3-Year-Old Daughter's Killer in Courtroom Brawl
