"La Apañada" is the collection by the herds of all free roaming goats on Fuerteventura to a central point in order to return them to the rightful owner. The practice of letting the animals run freely is part of the local folklore, but although it looks like a disorganised "letting-go", it is much controlled by the Fuerteventura Agricultural Department.
When some goats are not anymore of major interest to the farmer for milk production or breeding, then the farmer lets them go roaming freely. The majority of the free goats are masculine. The goats roam in specific areas that are controlled by a supervisor and once a year all of them are being collected and put in areas that are surrounded by a stonewall, called "Gambuesas". Here they will be divided into separate groups according to their owner. Any newborn goats will then be marked as the older ones already are. All this activity is surrounded by a fiesta where wine and food are plenty. The Apañada is done every year at the end of September.
Michel