By Imogen Howse via SWNS
A wildlife sanctuary says it is being inundated with abandoned GOATS – because hard-up Brits are struggling to afford the animals.
Buttercups Sanctuary for Goats, based in Kent, has received a sudden influx of goats over the past fortnight – after a series of people “ditched” the poor animals and left them on busy roads.
The site is now caring for just over 130 goats – which workers say is “slightly above” its maximum capacity.
Head of hoof stock Ben Ward says this means the sanctuary cannot take any more goats in until it rehomes some of those it has – and has called on animal lovers to help.
Ward said: “Our job is to rescue and rehome goats. But there’s no pattern that dictates how often we get inquiries about helping goats.
“And over the past couple weeks, we’ve had an inundation of goats.
“We received 13 because their owner had suddenly passed away and there was no one left to look after them – but others were just abandoned by the roadside.
“A mum and baby goat were ditched on the A229 – and they weren’t even tethered.
“The mum had a poorly foot, which I reckon is the only thing which stopped them from walking out into the traffic.
“It’s awful to think about what could have happened.”
Ward said it’s impossible to understand exactly why people abandon animals, but guessed that it might be to do with the costs.
He said: “We’re in a cost of living crisis and the costs of everything are rising, so that may push people to this.
“Others may not have considered beforehand the obligations that come with owning an animal.
“And for others, I think there is an awareness that if they abandon an animal – people feel obligated to come and collect it.
“Maybe people know that places like us exist and assume they can just fall back on it.”
But Buttercups Sanctuary now has so many goats that it may not be able to help any others in need.
“We are at a point where we can’t take any more animals in until we alleviate the ones that we’ve got,” Ward said.
“We’ve had to put up temporary pens already and we’re just at capacity.”
Ward insisted that anyone looking to rehome a goat would “get a lot out of it”.
He said: “Goats are actually a lot like dogs. They’re incredibly loving, compassionate, personable, and intelligent.
“If they stay with us, they’ll still have a wonderful life. But if they are rehomed – they get more out of that one-to-one care and closeness.”
However, he stressed that people need to consider what they’re getting themselves in for.
“The day-to-day costs, such as food, aren’t actually that much, perhaps £300 per goat per year,” Ward said.
“But the initial outlays are more expensive, like making sure you have land, stabling, and fencing.”
And for those who want to help but can’t take on a goat at the moment, Mr Ward says financial contributions are “just as helpful.”
He said: “We understand that plenty of people don’t have the ability to take on a goat, and honestly, financial contributions, no matter how big or small, are just as helpful.
“This helps us keep running and makes sure we can look after as many goats as possible.”
