"Goat firefighters": In the Canary Islands, livestock saves from fires
In the Spanish municipality of El Rosario, goats and sheep belonging to local farmers are helping to prevent fires by eating dry grass, and the authorities are supporting the farmers financially.
Every morning, around eight o'clock, a cloud of dust rises near the La Pedrera farm in the Los Peñascos Altos area (municipality of El Rosario). This is because over a thousand goats belonging to local farmers, José Antonio Sánchez and Ana Luz Gutiérrez, are going out to pasture. They are simply looking for food, but without knowing it, they are doing an important job – preventing fires. That's why they are called "firefighter goats."
The local authorities of El Rosario decided to use this ancient method to reduce the risk of fires and protect the settlements closest to the mountains. They even allocate financial assistance to farmers – 2,000 euros per year per farm. The mayor of the city, Escolástico Gil, says that such assistance is "extremely important" for reducing the danger of fires.
The couple, José Antonio Sánchez and Ana Luz Gutiérrez, are among those participating in this program. "When there was a big fire in 2023 that destroyed a significant part of the forests in Tenerife, the fire was getting close to the houses. I came here with the Civil Guard to decide which houses and farms needed to be evacuated. But with La Pedrera, this was not necessary. Thanks to the goats of José Antonio and Ana, who graze here every day, the whole area was clear of dry grass," the mayor recalls.
"It's not just goats that work here," Ana Gutiérrez clarifies. "In the morning, it's the goats, and in the afternoon, it's the turn of the sheep, of which we have hundreds on the farm." Therefore, there is almost no grass or bushes for several kilometers around. "We do this so that the animals have something to eat, but we have always understood how important this is for reducing the risk of a fire that could threaten us and our neighbors," adds José Antonio.
This couple took over the business from previous generations who have always lived by agriculture. And they hope that their sons, Eduardo and Antonio, will continue this tradition. "It's a very hard life," says Ana. "We get up at four in the morning and take care of the livestock all day. We also have pigs."
Free grazing of livestock has another positive effect: the milk and cheese produced by La Pedrera are of very high quality. Their cheeses have even won awards. In 2022, La Pedrera won a gold medal at the Tenerife competition for its aged cheese made from goat's and sheep's milk. You can taste these delicacies at the La Esperanza market, where Ana sells them every weekend.
The herd descends the slope, and the goats eat even the roots. The udders of some goats almost touch the ground. "They are pregnant," explains José Antonio, adding that they need to be milked carefully so that they keep the milk for the kids. "Fires used to be less dangerous because there was more livestock, and the land around the cities was cleaner," he recalls. "Restoring animal husbandry will improve fire prevention." "It's difficult, but conditions need to be created for this," concludes Escolástico Gil.