Love them of hate them, the goats at Scenic Hill have got people chasing their tails.
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Griffith residents Sergey and Lana Bibikov are quite upset at the thought of the goats coming to an untimely end, and being transported to an abattoir like they have been in the past.
Manager of executive services for Griffith City Council Shireen Donaldosn says they are dealt with humanely, and are a feral pest which a great number of residents have complained about.
Mr Sergey argues there are more humane ways of dealing with the animals than to kill them, such as fencing an area of land for them or looking for people to adopt them.
They wish to encourage discussion in the community about how to control the animals while letting them live in peace.
“It’s like the children’s story the Little Prince says, we are responsible for the animals which we tame, and these goats live here, they are an iconic part of Scenic Hill, people come here to see them,” Mrs Bibikov said.
“I am a teacher, and we are meant teach compassion to our students for all beings, human and animal, and what kind of example are we setting if we let these animals be take away from their homes?”
However while these animals can be cute, they have lived up to their name of tricksters and troublemakers in the past by destroying native flora and fauna, and by eating and destroying resident’s gardens.
Ms Donaldson said there is nothing inhumane about the way the goats are controlled, and council have listened to complaints from residents detailing hundreds of dollars worth of damage to their gardens.
A great many people in the community feel these animals need to be removed.
- Shireen Donaldson
“The residents who are concerned about supposed cullings are just leading themselves on a wild goat chase,” she said.
She says no culling or shooting occurs whatsoever on the Scenic Hill location, and the controlling of the feral animals follows guidelines used by Parks and Recreation services.
“The goats are rounded up by dogs and motorbikes, corralled, and then trucked to another location, it is all very humane,” she said.
“A great many people in the community feel these animals need to be removed.”
The have also been suggestions the goats give enterprising people a chance to ‘cash in’, with abattoirs experiencing a “high demand” the the animal’s meat.
Mr and Mrs Bibikov say these “iconic” animals should be fenced in, preventing the problem of destroying gardens, and enables them to live in peace in the area they know.
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The goats have previously terrorized the residents of Doolan Crescent after dark, devouring flowers and destroying gardens, resulting in a number of complaints to council.
A lack of water was believed responsible for the goats venturing to the streets at night.