The Lonely Goatherd

Hunting, shooting, fishing. The next big thing for Mallorcan tourism. Well not necessarily, but there has been a move in promoting tourism of the “highest” quality in hunting. The mountainous area of La Victoria outside Alcúdia has been awarded a certification of quality for the goats that can be hunted by the Balearic commission for hunting.

Go to the hermitage at La Victoria and you will commonly find goats munching their way through the undergrowth. They wander freely around the place, until that is someone points a gun in their direction. Normally, visitors only go as far as the hermitage, but if you head up the mountain further one of the first things you see is a sign warning you about “dangerous” animals. I fancy there is greater danger from human animals than anything on four legs.

Hunting is not something one might associate with Mallorca, but it is big news – in hunting circles at any rate. The hunting organisation holds an annual event; it was in Alcúdia three years ago. That hunting is popular here should not really be a surprise. Though an island, Mallorca’s history is as much bound up with the land as the sea. Go back in time and, apart from Palma, much of the coast was sparsely populated. It was the land that sustained Mallorca, and traditions in for instance cuisine have their roots in peasant cooking using the produce of the land. Goat is a traditional Mallorcan dish. Among older Mallorcans in particular, the tradition of the land runs deep. Hunting and horsemanship. I know some most unlikely people who are superb horsemen.

By contrast with hunting, fishing is already popular with tourists. Most of this is sea fishing. Requests for information about fishing are something I get quite often. One is, strictly speaking, meant to have a licence, the annual fee for which is pretty cheap – around 12 euros. But it is a hassle to get hold of one. Mostly, therefore, tourists (and indeed others) just get on with it, though the police are quite within their rights to demand to see a permit. One British resident of many years’ standing was caught. He didn’t even know you needed a licence, but you do. And so, I suppose, you also need one for hunting. Presumably if they’re going to promote hunting tourism, the obtaining of a permit will be made rather easier than that for fishing.


EROSKI
My mistake, the streetlights have not been painted red, just the whacking great Eroski pole and sign. Still an awful lot of red though.


QUIZ
Yesterday – Neil Diamond. Today’s title – well it could be a herd of goats, couldn’t it? Anyway, where’s this from? Easy, easy.

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