The goats are ‘screaming like mad’ since their kids were stolen
A herd of seven baby goats have been stolen from a struggling South London farm, leaving their ‘mamas distraught and bleating.’ Shocked workers at Christmas Tree Farm, in the village of Downe in Orpington, were gutted to turn up to work on Tuesday morning (June 23) only to learn seven kids had been taken.
Manager Paul Gubby has worked at the Bromley farm for 43 years and was dealing with flood damage from the wild thunderstorm overnight, when he heard the does ‘screaming like mad’. The babies typically run around the field, and the parents normally scream out to get them back.
But this time he ‘noticed something strange.’ He told MyLondon: “I walked around the farm and just couldn’t find them. That’s when we noticed they were missing.”
“They’ve been calling out, they’re distraught. It will take them a few days to realise they’re not there. The first day or two, they were bleating away. It made me feel very sad because they obviously want their babies back.”
Paul fears the goats were stolen so people can sell them on as pets, fetching up to £400 each.
‘We won’t prosecute you’
He assured the thieves all that staff at the farm want is the goats to be returned safe and well, and told MyLondon that the farm has no interest in going to the authorities. Paul said: “Just bring them back. No questions asked, even if it’s dead at night, or just let us know, and we’ll just come and collect them.
He added that ‘we don’t want to go down that [prosecution] line. We just want them back.’ The theft can be particularly dangerous for the kids, as they still need their mothers’ milk, as they’re all around four and five weeks old.
“They should still be with their mom for another four or five weeks at least. Now the mums have got um big bags of milk on them which is being used,” said Paul. He just hopes they’re being looked after by someone who ‘loves animals’ as there is a risk the kids die if not.
But lost goats aren’t the only problem Christmas Tree Farm is facing right now. Vet bills have rocketed, as has the price of hay, and due to the heat, it’s “not getting any visitors”.
However, he understands this as “it’s too hot for members of the public to walk around”. He adeed: “Things aren’t ‘drastic at the moment but we just hope it doesn’t go on for few months.”
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