Yobs kill goats with toxic leaves
TWO African pygmy goats died and a third had to be put down after they ate toxic rhododendron leaves thrown into their enclosure by intruders at a children’s petting zoo.
Four more of the animals from the herd of 12 are being treated for the effects of poisoning after yobs broke into the zoo on Sunday night.
Rhododendron leaves and flowers are extremely poisonous if eaten by animals and humans.
Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach cramps and can lead to blindness, seizures and death. The goats that died were called Mirabel and Adele, who were both only one year old.
Jet had to be put down while Arwen, Blueberry, Amber and Coal are seriously ill but are expected to survive.
Last night police confirmed they were examining CCTV footage to try to identify the culprits they described as ‘mindless’.
They said the offenders scaled a wall and broke into the Walton Hall and Gardens children’s zoo on the outskirts of Warrington, Cheshire, between 8pm and 10pm on Sunday. They ripped a rhododendron bush out of the ground and threw it into the goats’ enclosure.
Keepers at the zoo alerted police the following day when they realised what had happened. A spokesman for the zoo said they hoped there was no malice intended by those who gave the plant to the goats.
But Cheshire police said they were investigating if the goats’ deaths were due to a deliberate act of poisoning.
The zoo spokesman added: ‘Nobody should feed the animals at the zoo as they have very specific diets and this can have serious consequences.’