Stock that goat away
A FARMER has been left baffled by the disappearance of more than 100 goats and two maremma dogs.
Woodstock cattleman Troy Piper- Green, 47, said he had recently bought 130 boer goats and the dogs as an “experiment” to help manage Chinese apple weed.
He said he usually kept the goats in a 24ha fenced paddock but found the goats had cleared the area of the weed “too well” and decided to let them out for two hours to graze on other feed while he cleaned a molasses tank.
Mr Piper- Green said he saw the goats venture over to a creek but didn’t realise the mob had then split.
“They rolled down into a creek, 20 of them stayed behind,” he said. “I thought that was the tail of the mob but didn’t realise they’d split.
“They’ve absconded and disappeared from the face of the earth, just simply vanished without a trace.”
He said the goats had been missing for a fortnight, de- spite aerial searches using a drone and mustering helicopter. Mr Piper- Green said a neighbour did notice tracks but following them had proven to be unfruitful. He said the missing stock, plus the two dogs, were worth about $ 15,000.
“That’s my fault, I let them wander but it would be good to get them back,” he said.
He said the goats were ear- tagged.
Mr Piper- Green urged anyone who had seen the goats to phone him on 0402 289 511.
THEY’VE ABSCONDED AND DISAPPEARED FROM THE FACE OF THE EARTH, JUST SIMPLY VANISHED WITHOUT A TRACE. TROY PIPER- GREEN