One Welsh town has gone to the goats during the coronavirus pandemic.
With everyone cooped up at home in Llandudno, a coastal community west of Liverpool in the United Kingdom, a herd of 120 or so Kashmiri goats that usually stays high up on a nearby headland has been coming into town and partaking in the local shrubbery.
The goats usually only come into town when the weather’s bad up on Great Orme, where they live. “They are curious, goats are, and I think they are wondering what’s going on like everybody else,” town councillor Carol Marubbi told the BBC.
Or they’re appreciating the food alternatives they’re finding — flowers and bushes in people’s yards.
These baaaaad boys (sorry!) were first spotted in town by Andrew Stuart, a journalist for the Manchester Evening News who has now become an embedded goat correspondent. Stuart’s commentary as he chased the story added a much-needed layer of hilarity to the investigation.
It all started on the night of March 26, when Stuart first spotted the goats and shot video of them roaming the streets. He posted the first tweet in what turned into a long thread on Twitter, writing, “I think I just got a group of goats in Llandudno arrested.”
I think I just got a group of goats in Llandudno arrested.
Let me explain… first, I saw this from inside a dark pub (the one I live in currently). I thought I was seeing things. So I took some video: pic.twitter.com/RtxYG6htLC
— Andrew Stuart (@AndrewStuart) March 27, 2020
He followed them to Trinity Square, filming them as they hedged their bets (sorry!) on a row of bushes. Stuart also noted that the rogue goats were flagrantly violating the social distancing rules.
They weren’t moving from their midnight feast. And they were probably going to run riot on the town, what with nobody being about due to the lockdown. I also wasn’t sure if they were keeping the required 2m apart. pic.twitter.com/Yn69JWDV8p
— Andrew Stuart (@AndrewStuart) March 27, 2020
Then he called the local police to say the goats weren’t where they were supposed to be. The red flashing lights seemed to scare them away.
Goats aren’t exactly known for their discriminating tastes. But according to Visit Wales, these Kashmiri goats aren’t like other goats. “It is often believed that goats will eat anything. However, they tend to be quite discriminating as far as diet is concerned, and have definite preferences, such as, in the case of the Great Orme goats, elder, gorse, hawthorn, bracken, bramble, ivy, stinging nettles and privet, according to the time of year.”
Then, on March 28, Stuart posted a “goat update.” The Kashmiri goats had returned to town, this time in broad daylight. Bold!
Goat update: they’re back, and they’re gathering in groups of more than 2 ð pic.twitter.com/Bc2N42SPGo
— Andrew Stuart (@AndrewStuart) March 28, 2020
Deep into goat-pun territory, he noted that they’re really just “kidding around.”
Just kidding around, yeah? ð pic.twitter.com/NHpV3seMlA
— Andrew Stuart (@AndrewStuart) March 28, 2020
By March 30, when the goats had returned to town once again, Stuart declared, “I, for one, welcome our new goat overlords.”
I, for one, welcome our new goat overlords pic.twitter.com/Fk5x6XaCLM
— Andrew Stuart (@AndrewStuart) March 30, 2020
The goats certainly provided some comic relief during tough times in Llandudno.
Lansdowne House, a boutique hotel in town, posted a photo of the goats on Instagram, writing, “Well we have NO GUESTS and the GREAT ORME GOATS expect to stay and eat for free!”
Perhaps they’re not the best guests, but they’re inspiring some artists to create new goat-related artwork.
Jo Sunshine Art 2 posted some work that celebrates the Great Orme goats:
In the comments, Jo Sunshine notes that this is not an April Fool’s joke.
The goats are real, but some of the reports of wild animals roaming empty streets and canals while the humans are quarantined have now been debunked. In some cases, the animals were just doing what they normally do. Maybe folks are simply paying more attention to the natural world now!
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for other great tips and ideas to make the most out of life.
