SANTO DOMINGO DE LA CALZADA – Agents of the Guardia Civil and the local police in Santo Domingo de La Calzada stopped a 33-year-old pilgrim on the Camino de Santiago. What prompted the officers’ intervention was the Frenchman’s unusual company.
The man walked the Camino with eleven animals: seven goats, three donkeys and a dog. Agents of the environmental police Seprona were called in. They established the Frenchman was unable to provide the necessary documentation for any of the animals.
The animals had no health cards, microchips or ear tags. Seprona informed the regional Ministry of Agriculture. It arranged for the transfer of the animals to a closed and isolated enclosure managed by a private individual.
48 hours to provide documentation
Later, veterinarians of the region checked over the animals. They agreed to transfer them to the Plaza de Toros de Santo Domingo de la Calzada. The pilgrim had 48 hours to provide all necessary documentation and have the animals vaccinated; he would then be able to continue the journey with his unique company.
Pilgrim and animals vanish
The story then took a turn because the pilgrim, who according to Antena is called 3 Pierre, has disappeared together with his animals. The Guardia Civil is looking for him.
Pierre, a French citizen, started his Camino de Santiago in the French town of Florac. He had covered almost 700 kilometres when he ran into trouble in Santo Domingo de la Calzada. A resident complained to the police about the animals in the village fountain.
Pierre reportedly said about the animals – according to Antena 3 – they are ‘my heart, my family’. He explained the lack of documentation with the comment that ‘papers cost a lot of money and I don’t have that’.
