Goats roaming Welsh town again after lockdown stars miss contraception

Herd numbers grew after pandemic hindered contraceptive injections last year

A growing herd of goats that became an internet sensation during the first lockdown have been seen roaming the streets of a Welsh town once again after missing out on contraception to keep their numbers under control.

The Kashmiri goats sometimes wander into the town of Llandudno, Conwy, from the Great Orme in search of food in the spring and shelter from cold winds.

During the first national lockdown in March, they were seen taking advantage of the empty streets and roads, as well as eating flowers and hedges in people’s gardens.

Under normal circumstances, the goats receive contraceptive injections to manage their numbers. However, these could not be carried out last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has led to a significant increase in the herd’s size.

The animals have been spotted lounging in gardens and wandering into new areas across the town.

Officials in Llandudno fear that as lockdown begins to ease and the roads become busy again, some of the goats may be in danger of being hit by cars.

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Local residents are being urged to look out for the goats and report any in distress.

Louise Emery, who represents the Great Orme area of Llnadudno on Conwy council, told the BBC: “There seems to be a rogue herd of goats that have wandered across the town into a completely new area where they have never been… that’s a concern.

“It’s a great concern at night time, actually, because they tend to wander more at night and the roads have been very quiet.

“Drivers can literally come round the corner and be faced with eight or nine goats in the road.”

The contraceptive injections are usually administered to the randy goats by caretakers of the Great Orme country park.

Sally Pidcock, warden of the country park, said the team hoped to count the goats and give them contraceptive injections later in the year.

She said most of the goats exploring Llandudno and straying further from the Great Orme are billy goats, as males are more likely to travel.

“Obviously if it’s just billy goats that are straying, then by the time of the rut when they’re interested in females again, you would hope that they would be making their way back,” she said.

“But this year, the goats have been emboldened by the fact that there are so few people around. That’s a bit more worrying because it might become a bit more complicated for them to find their way back.”