In Zamora there is a town whose neighbor is a deer named Tomás. And he has already shown that no one will get him out of there

Linarejos is a village in the Zamorano municipality of Manzanal de Arriba, in the heart of the Sierra de la Culebra, where around a dozen people live. And a deer. That last one is an important detail because it explains why this small town near the Portuguese border has made the headlines of the national press several times in recent years. First in 2023, by the work and grace of a deer with impressive antlers named ‘Carlitos’. Now because of another of his peers, a 140 kilo male named ‘Tomás’.

Carlitos’ story did not end well. That of Tomás (or ‘Tomasín’, as they also call him in Linarejos) has left a script twist worthy of a Pixar movie.

In a place in Castilla y León… More specifically, in the town of Manzanal de Arriba, Zamora, the small village of Linarejos is located. A few dozen residents settled in the heart of the Sierra de la Culebra, in the surroundings of a regional hunting reserve. Despite its scarce registry, over the last few years the village has aroused the interest of the national press several times. And always for the same reason: imposing deer that decide to become one of the locals and live with their neighbors.

The deer ‘Tomás’. The most recent case involved a male deer weighing about 140 kilos and having impressive antlers that the inhabitants of Linarejos have nicknamed ‘Tomás’. Although it is a wild, undomesticated animal, this peculiar deer has made the village its particular refuge: it rests there and feeds there. It is so easy to see him dozing in the shadow of the walls and facades of the village that it has become a kind of tourist attraction. Zamora’s Opinion He assures that the deer has been living there for about two years.

“We all fit”. Although there is a hunting tradition in the region, Tomás has fallen in favor with the neighbors, who have decided to welcome him as one of their own. “It doesn’t do anything,” they explain from the bar. “He doesn’t mess with anyone, he hasn’t disrespected anyone or anything, ever. There he is taking a nap. What crime is he committing? Coming to town?” Another neighbor confirms that the deer “doesn’t bother anyone” and speculates that it may have ended up in Linarejos while looking for shelter from the wolves. In addition to safety and good shade, he has also found food.

Everything perfect, right? No. The residents of Linarejos have learned to live with Tomás. They have even taken a liking to him. But that does not mean that the presence of the deer among the houses and orchards of the village poses two problems. The first, that it is still an animal with a “wild instinct”, as some resident acknowledges. In addition, it is equipped with enormous antlers. The second handicap is that Tomás not only meets neighbors. Curious people also come to Linarejos, people who want to see it up close and do not always maintain the appropriate distance.

“People from outside come to see him, to take photos with him, to caress him,” he explains to Zamora’s Opinion a neighbor, who still remembers the recent case of “a couple with two children” who approached Tomás as if he were a pet and even ran their hand over his back. That does pose a danger because, says another resident, “although it is sociable” the animal retains its “wild instinct.”

“They are coming to shoot him!” Tomás’ presence in an inhabited village caused so much concern that a few days ago the authorities made a radical decision: capture him and transfer him to the Casal farm. The operation to hunt him gave a good scare to the neighbors, who on Thursday of last week found a deployment of Seprona and Environment agents in their streets.

“They are looking for him, they are coming to shoot him,” it was said in the village. In reality, the objective was different: to numb the deer, reduce it, remove it from the urban area and transfer it to a natural environment. The operation went well and the story could have ended there… if it weren’t for the fact that Tomasín had other plans.

A 50 km trip. To the astonishment of the residents of Linarejos, the deer reappeared in the town a few days later, which means that it undertook no more and no less than a 50-kilometer journey on its own through the Sierra de la Culebra. His objective: to leave the area where they were trying to relocate him and return to what he considers his natural refuge. Ironically, this feat has given him even more visibility and has made interest in Tomás grow.

In Linarejos they still have fresh memories of another deer similar to Tomasín who years ago also decided to turn the streets of the village into his home. That animal was called ‘Carlitos’, it had 14-point antlers and the locals managed to gather around 54,000 signatures through an online campaign to shield it and protect it from hunters. It was of little use.

In September 2023, residents came across the decapitated carcass of a deer in the area. The town immediately suspected that it was their illustrious deer, although the Junta de Castilla y León denied it shortly after. The reality is that in Linarejos they did not see Carlitos again, so the neighbors decided to pay tribute to him by drawing his silhouette on doors and facades.

Image | Wikipedia

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