Free-ranging animals in parks and promenades in Spain

Hello! My name is Inosho.
In this issue, I would like to introduce you to some animals that were free-range (grazing) in parks and promenades in Spain.

Free-roaming animals in parks

So without further ado, let’s start with the animals that have been released in Spanish parks.

Peacock

The first animal was a peacock. I was surprised to see a peacock running free in an ordinary park in the city, not in a nature park or animal park.

However, it was a fairly large park, so I think there was enough space for the animals to roam free. I don’t remember which park in Spain it was, but….

By the way, I was curious to know if there is a park in Japan where peafowl are allowed to roam free. Apparently, you can see free-range peafowl at Izu Shaboten Zoological Park in Ito City, Shizuoka Prefecture.

Swans

Now, next is the swans. In the same park as the peacocks I saw earlier, there was also a swan free-range. The peacock was alone, but this swan had a family.

By the way, I personally could not tell the difference between swans and ducks. So, when I saw them in a park in Spain, I decided to look them up.

In terms of appearance, swans are larger and have longer necks than ducks. Also, swans tend to have black beaks and eyes, while ducks have yellow beaks and eyes.

The swan in the photo has a bit of black around its eyes. The black part looks kind of cool, like a mask. Biologically, both swans and ducks belong to the duck family. However, swans belong to the swan family, while ducks belong to the mallard family.

Free-roaming animals on the boardwalk

The following are some of the animals that have been released on the boardwalks (hiking trails) in Spain.

Cows

While walking along a promenade in the suburbs of Madrid, the capital of Spain, I came across many free-range cows. There were no fences or anything, and they were grazing endlessly on the side of the path along which I was walking. Naturally, it was the first time in my life I had ever seen such a sight.

As I found out later, it is not uncommon in Europe for walking trails to be integrated with farmland (agritourism). So at this time, there was probably a dairy farm not far away.

Incidentally, it seems that both advantages and disadvantages exist in free-range cattle (pasturage). On the one hand, it makes feed management and feed costs easier, but on the other hand, there are demerits such as the fact that cattle feces and urine flow into rivers and cause water pollution.

Sheeps

While walking along the same promenade as before, I also came across some grazing sheep. Sheep are famous in Australia and New Zealand because there are more sheep than people. In New Zealand, there are about five sheep for every person.

However, not only in the above two countries, but when you go to the countryside in Spain or other foreign countries, you will overwhelmingly see more sheep grazing than cattle.

By the way, lamb is not a major food in Japan. However, I have eaten mutton in other countries. Lamb has a unique taste and smell, which I personally liked.

I gained new knowledge about animals

As I mentioned in my introduction, there were many animals that were free-range in Spain. The best thing was that I found myself interested in the peacocks, swans, cows, and sheep that I met in Spain.

I later did a lot of research on the Internet about the animals I met in Spain, and I gained new knowledge about them. 27 years old and almost 30 years old, I think it is good to encounter new knowledge at any age.

Thank you Spain and the free range animals in Spain for giving me new knowledge!

Please refer to “Hiking along the coasts of European countries“

See you tomorrow.