Almost 100 sheep belonging to shepherd Elsa Fernández returned on 21 August 2026 after an approximately five-hour transhumance (Spanish: trashumancia) from Valdemorillo to Fresnedillas de la Oliva at the Sierra Oeste returned home. The safe return followed the evacuation of the flock during the major wildfire that kept the western mountain region of Community of Madrid on tenterhooks for weeks.
The wildfire broke out in late July and was brought under control on 4 August, according to the authorities. In total, around 27,000 hectares of vegetation and forest land were burned. Fernández moved her animals to the neighbouring municipality of Valdemorillo at the last minute, before the flames reached the area around her farm.
More than a dozen volunteers and local shepherds accompanied the return journey. The route was completed in stages, with breaks to water the animals and safely cross sections where they were weakened. Fernández, who has campaigned for years for extensive grazing through the network Ganaderas en Red said at the scene that parts of her grazing land had been only slightly affected, because the flock keeps the vegetation short and thereby reduces the local fire load.
The return is therefore more than a logistical step: Fernández explicitly links it to a call for extensive livestock farming to be recognised as part of the prevention strategy. This view is widespread among forestry professionals, who describe grazing as one way to reduce combustible biomass in mosaic-like managed landscapes. Whether and to what extent such practical approaches are incorporated into regional and national programmes is a political decision; it requires reliable funding and long-term planning.
After the fire, the regional government of the Comunidad de Madrid announced plans for reconstruction and prevention measures. In the affected municipalities of the Sierra Oeste, immediate priorities include securing infrastructure and tending damaged land. In the medium to long term, the focus is on stabilising businesses such as Fernández’s, whose grazing management is also seen as helping the landscape withstand future fires. In this sense, the flock’s return marks a small but symbolic step towards normality — and keeps the debate about the role of transhumance in Spain’s fire-prone regions in the public eye.
Editor: Daniel Mayer (Article created with AI assistance).