A herd of mischievous goats have been granted the freedom to roam freely through gardens of a small town.
Conwy Council ruled the goats cannot legally be contained despite their unruly behaviour chewing through bedded plants and fences in the village of Llandudno, north Wales.
Residents had urged to council to find a way to clampdown on the animals wandering ways, but landowners were told it was their responsibility to protect themselves and their homes.
It comes after claims the Kashmiri goats have been devouring garden hedges, munching flowers, running wild in the streets and even fighting in supermarket car parks.
The Conwy Council report said: “The goats of Llandudno have roamed in a wild state for over 100 years and were originally a gift to Lord Mostyn from Queen Victoria.
“The goats have reverted to a wild state and are therefore now regarded as wild animals.
"No one person or organisation is legally responsible for the goat populations of Llandudno, and they may only become someone’s property if they are ‘confined’.”
“As the goats are feral animals, it is therefore not the council’s legal responsibility to keep the goats on the Great Orme by way of fencing or ‘containment’.
“If damage is being caused to adjoining properties, the onus is therefore on those property owners to keep the goats out. A landowner has a legal entitlement to act on behalf of an animal’s welfare if a wild animal is in distress whilst on their land.”
Concerns were initially raised when one of the animals suffered an injury after wandering into traffic, reports The Times.
They’ve even popped into a local hotel, queued up outside a care home at dinner time hoping for a meal, and visited the local service station, as well eating any vegetation they can get their teeth.
One care home found 25 of them on the doorstep, drawn to the smell of that night’s dinner. One particularly sophisticated goat even checked into a hotel.
Angela O’Grady says the animals are unfazed at sharing the streets with people and are comfortable in front of the camera.
“You can go right up to them and take pictures,” she says. “They’re not bothered – they just carry on posing.”
