Story perspectives

Sheep and goats parade reroutes Madrid after Puerta del Sol protest

By Drooid · Oct 25, 2026, 11:30 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Organizers guided thousands of sheep and goats through Madrid streets for the festival.
The route skipped Puerta del Sol after activists erected a protest camp there.
Activists protested the eviction of 87-year-old María del Carmen Abascal, who later died.
Since 1994, the festival uses traditional grazing to clear brush and lower wildfire risk.
Transhumance has declined as Spain’s interior lost population since the 1950s.

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Story summary

Organizers guided thousands of sheep and goats through Madrid streets for the festival.
The route skipped Puerta del Sol after activists erected a protest camp there.
Activists protested the eviction of 87-year-old María del Carmen Abascal, who later died.
Since 1994, the festival uses traditional grazing to clear brush and lower wildfire risk.
Transhumance has declined as Spain’s interior lost population since the 1950s.