15 goats tasked with munching poison ivy run loose through Boston suburb: ‘Project gone wrong’
The great goat-away.
Fifteen goats tasked with clearing a poison ivy grove bucked their job last week and escaped into a suburban Boston neighborhood.
The clean-up crew was munching on brush surrounding a Lynnfield home last Tuesday when “unattended” dogs chased them out of their electric enclosure, Goats to Go, the company that owns the goats, said.
“Goats are herd animals so they all stay together,” company co-owner Michelle Aulson told Boston.com.
“We know they were chased because they were in three different groups, not all together.”
It’s not clear how long the terrified billys were chased, but confused neighbors began spotting the goats wandering aimlessly down the streets as night fell.
The Lynnfield Police Department swooped into the rescue for a call of five goats “roaming” the streets — and the splintered group looked grateful for someone to lead them back to safety.
“Ofc. Pisano was able to establish himself as the alpha and lead the goats to safety,” the department said on Facebook.
Another eight were found early Wednesday morning, thanks to efforts by police, Aulson and helpful neighbors.
The final two — Happy and Finny — remained on the loose until Wednesday night.
“Just as we were losing hope of catching the last goat before dark, a neighbor drove into their driveway and her garage at the exact moment our goat, Finny, rounded from the backyard to the front,” Goats to Go posted on their Facebook page.
“The garage door closed at the perfect time, capturing him inside.”
All 15 were brought home within 24 hours of what Aulson called a “project gone wrong.”
All were in healthy condition, though a few suffered minor bite injuries likely from the dog chase.
“The end thing here that we’re all happy about is just the safety and health of the goats,” Aulson said.
“What animals love to do is eat vegetation and enjoy life, so our goats will continue to do that and provide a natural way of getting rid of poison ivy.”
