Carlitos was eight years old, he liked apples and he wasn’t afraid of people. Maybe that’s why they killed him. A hunter shot it near his village, Linarejos (Zamora, 10 inhabitants), where this deer had come since it was young to walk and feed. He never caused any problems, beyond hitting an apple tree to make the fruit fall. A few weeks ago an “anonymous complaint” arrived warning of the alleged danger of the male, always docile according to his human neighbors. The Junta de Castilla y León, manager of the hunting reserve where it was located, included it as a hunting game. It was majestic, with 14-point antlers. The locals thwarted a first raid and begged for the animal to be spared. They even obtained 54,000 virtual signatures, equivalent to a third of the provincial population. They were unable to prevent him from being hunted. Gunshots rang out Monday night. Early Tuesday morning they found the decapitated body of his friend. They recognized him because he had marks on his ears.
The neighbors are devastated. Pilar Devesa, 43 years old and one of the few inhabitants, is angry about what happened. There have never been any problems in eight years: “They have taken advantage of an animal that loved to lie down enjoying themselves, they have gone after him in the area where he felt safest, his town, he never left the vicinity.” Linarejos is certain that the decapitated remains found very close to the place, with shade, grass and water, correspond to the deer, common in that area in the current rutting season: “They have left their ears, which is very strange, they are They have carried the leg thinking that we are idiots, we never talked about Carlitos’ brands because it was our way of knowing who he is. He had a scar on his left paw since he was a baby and marks on his ears, he was strong and had survived wolf attacks.” She and the other inhabitants deny the process that has condemned him. At the beginning of September, says Julio Fernández, from Ecologistas en Acción Zamora, an “anonymous complaint” came about the alleged danger of the deer. The Environmental Department of the Board included it as a hunting animal and despite the fact that the inhabitants stopped a hunt a few days ago and demanded to save it, their quadruped visitor has fallen: “It is an infamous massacre.” This same Monday, the environmental association requested that Carlitos be pardoned and asked to stop hunting during times of rutting and reproduction. The male died a few hours later.
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A walker from Linarejos saw several Junta vehicles pass by on Monday night and feared the worst. He followed them, hiding, and heard a shot. From a distance he saw how they decapitated him for three hours. It got dark, he returned home and at dawn he found the body. He was missing his antlers and a leg where he had a scar, something that the forestry agents, who are knowledgeable about the prized animals in the area, also knew. Instead, they left the ears, where the locals had also seen some marks. Indeed, it was him. The speed of the event shocked Pilar Devesa because there were more valuable specimens and they appealed to the humanity of the hunters: “Why this way? He was not sick and, if he was, why don’t they take the body? ”This neighbor lamented. The delegate of the Board in Zamora, Leticia García, justified a week ago including it as potentially huntable as it was “the usual hunting exercise, in the appropriate area for it, not in the urban area” and insisted that the deer “is a species “hunting and during the hunting period it is susceptible to being hunted.” According to her, its “considerable antlers” made it “a danger to the population,” especially during the mating season. This Wednesday she reiterated, despite the insistence of neighbors, that it is not known if the body that appeared is that of Carlitos.
The Environment later issued a statement denying that he was killed: “Carlitos is not in danger this year and will not be hunted. “This statement is based on data provided by environmental agents and environmental wardens, as well as confirmation from the director of the game reserve.” Hours before, the regional delegate in Zamora, Leticia García, stated that there was “no way of knowing” the identity of the deceased animal. Seprona sources cannot be sure whether the deer is Carlitos or not and add that according to forestry agents it would not be, but the neighbors insist on the particular wounds in the ear and that the legs where it had scars have been removed.
A forestry agent in the area and familiar with the specimen insists that “it was super docile, but also a wild animal,” because it did not allow itself to be touched, but it did not flee from humans like other species.
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Carlitos had good taste. The stone and slate houses, surrounded by nature, invite you to look out to enjoy the tranquility and the orchards. In the town bar, between coffees and wines, they reflect on what happened with his four-legged friend. Several paintings with deer and wolves, emblems of the region, adorn the walls. At night you can hear some bellowing from the males. The rutting has begun, but now there is one less gorge for both the females and the tourists, as many choose Zamora to listen to the deer in their habitat. For this reason, José Álvarez, 57 years old and owner of the bar-hostel, was surprised by the designation of Carlitos as a game animal: “Even in our Booking reviews they talk about him, people are delighted, they come from Australia, Israel or the United States. United asking about him.” The specimen, when he was a baby, went to Linarejos with his mother, and as an adult he maintained those same habits. “We have to kill deer, there are many, we understand it, but let them leave this one to us. “We do not interfere with hunting, we are not against if it is regulated.” Jaime de Mendibil, a regular hunter, understands the hunting codes, but he also asked for mercy: “He needed to be registered and signed with his hoof.” Another neighbor, Dominic Villethéart, insists: “We are not against hunting, but it has to take some effort.” The effort and appeals to logic were in vain. Carlitos’ body will be eaten by wolves or vultures. His stuffed head will end up hanging in a hunter’s house.
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