By Anthony McLennan / Truth Theory
In the Welsh town of Llandudno, a gang of goats are taking advantage of the coronavirus lockdown by raiding local streets and gardens.
The goats have made their way into scenic Llandudno from the nearby Great Orme coastal headland.
They are part of a population of approximately 200 wild goats. It is said that they originate from a pair of Kashmiri goats which were given to Queen Victoria by the Shah of Persia in 1837.
It is not unusual for residents to see the goats – the animals reportedly move into the town’s outskirts when the weather on the Great Orme headland gets too harsh.
This is where the goats normally live, when we're not having an apocalypse, on the Great Orme.#goatnews #llandudno 🐐🐐🐐 pic.twitter.com/7eCfhUUBrQ
— 🦋 rojsmith.com is on BlueSky (@RojSmith) March 30, 2020
But now with the streets deserted during lockdown, the shaggy-looking goats have become emboldened and are taking over.
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
Goats munching on gardens, sleeping at the church
Goats that dgaf 🐐 pic.twitter.com/OlJ1doZUEb
— Andrew Stuart (@AndrewStuart) March 28, 2020
They’ve been spotted walking around the streets and also chowing down on plants in resident’s gardens.
They have been eating leaves in Trinity Square in the town centre, and napping in a local churchyard.
The mountain goats’ escapades were brought to light by a resident by the name of Andrew Stuart.
“They were probably going to run riot on the town, what with nobody being about due to the lockdown,” Stuart wrote on Twitter.
“I also wasn’t sure if they were keeping the required two metres apart.”
In the town near me (Llandudno) the mountain goats have moved further down out of hills and have started wandering around the town more to graze !! pic.twitter.com/m4dlp9Tydn
— sarah 🕸♡ (@VampireGhuleh) March 30, 2020
Stuart notified the police about the situation. But although the goats were shunted out, they quickly returned and have spent several days making themselves at home in the town.
Goat update: they’re back, and they’re gathering in groups of more than 2 🐐 pic.twitter.com/Bc2N42SPGo
— Andrew Stuart (@AndrewStuart) March 28, 2020
Read more: While Humans Are Locked Inside Thousands Of Endangered Turtles Return To Odisha Beach To Lay Eggs
This is just one of many stories around the world involving increased sightings of wild animals in urban areas during coronavirus lockdowns.
In some cases, it seems it’s curiosity and the quiet city streets which have emboldened wild animals.
I, for one, welcome our new goat overlords pic.twitter.com/Fk5x6XaCLM
— Andrew Stuart (@AndrewStuart) March 30, 2020
I regret* to inform you that Llandudno has been overrun by mountain goats…
(*in truth it’s actually pretty cool, unless you’ve hung washing out on the line…) https://t.co/p7HmIgKJxX— Larry the Cat (@Number10cat) March 31, 2020
But in other situations, there has been a more harsh reality. That is that some animals have become dependent on humans for food – be it hand-outs from tourists or digging in the trash.
Whilst its trending, I can confirm that the goats were still running Llandudno as of 10 minutes ago 🐐 #llandudno #goats pic.twitter.com/fKPj5o4vsC
— Bryn Johnson (@BrynLJohnson) March 31, 2020