No species left behind: how Spain saved its animals from wildfire
Spain’s Wildlife Rescue: No Creature Left Behind During Devastating Wildfires
Earthguardiansonline.com – As residents across Spain scrambled to escape the advancing flames, dedicated personnel at Safari Madrid focused their attention on a different kind of evacuation. The safari park housed an impressive collection of creatures—ranging from towering birds to creeping reptiles and formidable big cats—all facing imminent peril from the encroaching inferno. Caretakers remained at their posts, organizing the animals into climate-controlled concrete shelters designed to shield them from the heat and smoke. With skies painted orange and heavy gray smoke clouds billowing overhead, teams worked tirelessly, spraying water across the grounds to create firebreaks and protect the vulnerable inhabitants.
A Region-Wide Effort to Save Lives
The wildfires that devastated areas west of Madrid last week consumed approximately 131 square miles of territory. Safari Madrid stood as one of many protective strongholds in a coordinated regional campaign to rescue animals from farms and wildlife sanctuaries under threat. In the town of San Martin de Valdeiglesias, situated roughly 70 kilometers west of the capital, local authorities transformed a traditional bullring into an emergency refuge. This improvised shelter accommodated horses, ponies, donkeys, goats, cats, and dogs, according to Mayor Aránzazu Povedano Fraguela.
The Spanish Civil Guard mobilized rapidly to assist in the rescue operations. Their commitment was captured in a social media message:
We leave no one behind, whatever the species.
Accompanying videos documented their team members working across multiple farms, guiding horses and goats to safety, providing comfort to cattle and poultry, and checking on ostriches, camels, and crocodiles. Additional footage revealed guards rescuing domestic pets as well.
Evacuation Challenges and Solutions
The civil guard noted the emotional toll on the animals during evacuation:
They look so helpless and confused when we evacuate them, they just freeze completely. But they’re another member of the family and even more so in these circumstances.
Back at Safari Madrid, the facility managed approximately 1,000 resident animals while also accepting evacuees from Kuna Iberica, a neighboring sanctuary dedicated to injured and abandoned wildlife. As fire conditions worsened, Safari Madrid temporarily housed a Eurasian lynx and an Iberian wolf, both requiring anesthesia during transport, along with four vultures. Kuna Iberica’s director, Isaac Navarro, explained their approach:
The evacuation plan was simply to take out everything we could, and everything we could get out, we would get out.
Some animals were relocated to Alfonso X El Sabio University, while birds of prey found refuge at another Madrid wildlife center. Navarro reflected on the unprecedented nature of the crisis:
I had never experienced a situation like this, we had never faced a fire like this, and (the evacuation) was done with all the haste, as best as we could.
Aftermath and Recovery
Kuna Iberica staff allowed some animals to roam freely in their enclosures temporarily before gathering them again for overnight care. Since these rescued creatures cannot survive independently in the wild, they remained close to the facility and eagerly returned to their homes once conditions stabilized. Flames approached within 10 meters of the sanctuary, yet all animals emerged unharmed, according to Navarro.
At Safari Madrid, fire came within 500 meters before shifting course. Park spokesperson Jose Luis Cano Becerro described their vigil:
During the day, we examined the land that had been burned … and put out a log that was still burning and could reignite.
Caretakers maintained watch through two nights, eventually feeling secure enough to rest, though always with lingering concern.
While all animals survived, some experienced restlessness from extended confinement. Cano Becerro noted:
Some (animals) got a little agitated. We think it was because they had to stay inside for so long and couldn’t go out, which is not usual in their routine, especially the male Asian elephants who are adolescents and were a bit more restless, but nothing concerning.
Navarro expressed mixed emotions about the outcome:
In the end you’re left with the bitter feeling that the whole area, the whole region has been burned, but at least our animals are all safe.
All Kuna Iberica animals have since returned home, and Safari Madrid has reopened its gates to visitors, though smoke continues to linger and officials urge continued vigilance.
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