MADRID: Sheep replaced cars on the streets of Madrid on Sunday, as shepherds following ancient herding routes led their flocks through the centre of the Spanish capital to southerly pastures for winter grazing.

Locals and tourists lined the route and watched as thousands of sheep walked through the city, the bells around their necks providing a noisy soundtrack.

The annual event was revived in 1994 as part of Madrid’s annual Fiesta de la Trashumancia, after the Spanish parliament recognised the traditional routes shepherds used to herd their livestock.