SHARE
COPY LINK

GOAT

Police called in to cool down randy billy goat

A hobby farmer in Norway has called in the police after an oversexed billy goat broke into his pasture and began terrorising his herd.

Police called in to cool down randy billy goat
The mystery ram has been bothering Bjørn Tore Espevik's goats. Photo: Bjørn Tore Espevik/Facebook

Morten Kronen of the Hordaland police told Norway's Dagbladet newspaper that the fact that his goats were castrated males rather than females had done nothing to cool the ardour of their unwanted suitor. 

“This goat is enormously virile and horny. It is affecting his goats,” he said. “It's so horny that it's about to burst, it's abusing the goats. We can only hope that the owner comes forward so we can cool this goat down.” 

Bjørn Tore Espevik complained that he now had to keep his four goats inside to protect them from the intruder.

“The goat is trying to catch the others, it's trying to gore them and chases them around. I don't want to pay the veterinary bills if he damages them, so I have had to lock them up,” Espevik told Dagbladet. 

Both Espevik and the local police have tried and failed to locate the owner of the ram, which has been not ear-marked in the traditional way.

“If the goat had been ear-marked, I could have found the owner in two seconds. But it only has a bell, and none of the neighbours know it,” Espevik told local Bergensavisen paper.

He hopes that the goat can be returned to his rightful owner before he causes more serious damage.

“If he comes into the pasture of someone who is doing proper goat breeding, it could get really serious. I hope someone picks him up. If nobody wants him, he will probably have to be put down,” he told Dagbladet.

The police also want the owner found urgently, even though Espvik's goats will soon be free to roam. 

“It's a really vicious ram. The rural police will have to go there tomorrow to catch this goat and leave it with the Food Safety Authority so that they get some help,” says Kronen.  

COURT

Why a Bavarian cheese maker could face jail over over his smelly goat

How stinky is a billy goat allowed to be? It's been the subject of a debate between neighbours in a Bavarian village for years. Now a court has come to some decisions.

Why a Bavarian cheese maker could face jail over over his smelly goat
Too smelly? The billy goat Zoltan in its enclosure. Photo: DPA

For almost three years there's been a row between neighbours over a 'stinky' billy goat named Zoltan in the Upper Franconian community of Kulmbach.

Now the regional court in Bayreuth has decided that the goat owners must ensure the neighbour's quality of life is not substantially impaired by the smell, or they face an administrative fine of up to €250,000 – or even a prison sentence.

What's the back story?

For years the owners in question have kept around three to six goats. According to reports, their dream is to own a herd

with about 40 female goats and one male.

“We wanted to expand the cheese dairy,” said the goat owners. So almost three years ago they converted a barn, which borders the neighboring property, into a goat shed.

'Drying laundry no longer possible'

However, this resulted in the neighbour becoming annoyed because she cannot stand the smell of the billy goat.

“Drying laundry in this situation was no longer possible, you could not even sit in the garden in front of the house,” her lawyer reported.

However, the goat owners defended themselves. They said the goat smells for only a short period of time in summer in order to attract other goats.

They said the animal is in its own enclosure. “We walk twice a day with the goat on a rope through the herd,” said the goat owners. This takes no longer than 10 minutes and is acceptable, they think – especially since the neighbour keeps four goats in her garden herself.

Even the judge could not detect any stench or strong odour during a site visit. However, witnesses and an expert said evidence shows “there is indeed a borderline situation here”.

So that's why the court has ruled that if the billy goat should kick up a stink again, the owners will have to pay a fine or a prison sentence in the worst case scenario.

However, there are still some unanswered questions on if the goat would be allowed to stay if the smell becomes unbearable for the neighbour.

Vocabulary

Billy goat (der) Ziegenbock

Dispute – (der) Streit

Laundry – (die) Wäsche

Stench – (der) Gestank

We're aiming to help our readers improve their German by translating vocabulary from some of our news stories. Did you find this article useful? Let us know.

SHOW COMMENTS