DOG Warden Frankie Coote has confirmed that there is nothing he can do about the wild goats that roam on the area known as “The Rocky” in Ennis.
The herd of roughly 10 goats, who have inhabited the area for decades, have drawn attention to themselves recently by entering local residents’ gardens and making themselves at home.
Maggie Burke wrote a post on the Ennis Town Forum Facebook page about the issue, stating that she is at her “wits end” with her frequent furry visitors.
“They’re really cute but could they be cute somewhere else? Haven’t a shrub or tree left with them. They have knocked all my walls,” Maggie commented.
The post caused some amusement with goat jokes a plenty, but some suggested the goats should be shot.
Others suggested rehoming the animals, but Frankie Coote said it’s not as easy that.
“I have helped over the years with goats that were ill or injured, but there seems to be no major welfare issues with them at the moment. It would be breaking the law to move them,” he confirmed.
The goats are not tagged and are therefore not registered, so it would be difficult for a farmer to take them in as they are not guaranteed to be disease free.
Frankie said that it is up to the Department of Agriculture to deal with the issue.
It is thought that the wild herd were looked after by a woman over 60 years ago, who used to breed them and sell their meat.
At the time of going to press, no response had been received from the Department of Agriculture.
