Young farmer dies of heart attack shortly after brown bear attacked his flock of sheep in Spain
Roberto Guantes, 36, died the day after reporting and denouncing the continuous attacks by the wild animals on his livestock
Lucía Gutiérrez
León
Thursday, 25 September 2025, 15:00
Villablino (León) is grieving the death of Roberto Guantes - a 36-year-old farmer, who had become one of the strongest voices in denouncing the succession of brown bear attacks on livestock. The young man lost his life following a heart attack.
On Monday, 22 September, Roberto expressed his concern that a great "misfortune" would hit local livestock entrepreneurs. According to him, local farmers lacked any institutional support in the face of continuous bear attacks.
Unfortunately, his fears came true. According to Roberto's neighbour Luisma, the young farmer's animals were once again attacked by a bear only a few hours after his statement. Around 7am the next morning, Roberto noticed that several sheep were dead and that one animal was missing from the flock. Together with another neighbour, he decided to look for the sheep and find out if it was alive or locate the body and show evidence of the attack to the authorities.
A young entrepreneur
On that outing, which began as one of many he had made in recent days to guard and protect his livestock, he lost his life to a heart attack.
Although no one has officially suggested that Roberto's death is directly linked to the bear attacks, there is an uneasy feeling in the area. "If he hadn't gone out that morning, perhaps he would still be alive today."
Pain and anger in the area
Roberto's death has left locals dealing with a mixture of grief, impotence and anger. "He was a young man who wanted to stay here and keep livestock farming alive. We are angry because we feel that we are not being taken seriously and we have a very serious problem," the people of Villablino claim.
On Wednesday, Laciana said farewell to one of its own, feeling that Roberto's warnings had not been acted on in time. His words from Monday, when he called for urgent solutions to a situation he already considered critical, sounded louder than ever.
Roberto Guantes Santiago's funeral was held in the parish church of Caboalles de Abajo on 24 September.
