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Wild goats take over Llandudno's empty streets
The goats are regular visitors to Llandudno, but usually only in bad weather.

Animals have been providing welcome distraction to self-isolating residents 

Residents in Llandudno, Wales, got quite the surprise last week when a herd of wild goats ventured into the town, feasting on garden plants and hedges.

According to BBC News, some 122 Kashmiri goats wandered into the streets from Great Orme, a headland situated to the North West of Llandudno.

The goats are regular visitors to the town, but usually only in bad weather. Town councillor Carol Marubbi believes this latest visit could be due to the coronavirus outbreak, with more people staying inside.

"They are curious, goats are, and I think they are wondering what's going on like everybody else," she said. “There are very few visitors on the top [of the Orme], so they have come down in their droves. There isn't anyone else around so they probably decided they may as well take over."

Ms Marubbi added that the goats have been providing “free entertainment” to people from their windows and that residents were “very proud” of their four-legged visitors.

Llandudno resident Andrew Stuart has been posting regular updates about the goats on Twitter. In a series of tweets on Friday (27 March), he joked that he had 'got a group of goats arrested' after he spotted them nibbling on hedges.

The self-proclaimed 'goat correspondent' wrote: 'I gave @NWPolice a call to tell them a load of kids (geddit?) were running riot (I didn’t actually say that... sadly). They said they’d pass it on to officers'.

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Reporting service for dead wild birds updated

News Story 1
 The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has updated its online reporting service for dead wild birds.

The new version allows those reporting a dead bird to drop a pin on a map when reporting the location. It also includes a wider range of wild bird species groups to select from when describing the bird.

The online service, which helps APHA to monitor the spread of diseases such as avian influenza, can be accessed here. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
NI chief vet urges bluetongue vigilance

Northern Ireland's chief veterinary officer (CVO) has urged farmers to be vigilant for signs of bluetongue, after the Animal and Plant Health Agency warned there was a very high probability of further cases in Great Britain.

There have been 126 confirmed cases of bluetongue virus serotype 3 in England since November 2023, with no cases reported in Northern Ireland. The movement of live ruminants from Great Britain to Northern Ireland is currently suspended.

According to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), the virus is most likely to enter Northern Ireland through infected animals or germplasm (semen or ova) being imported.

Brian Dooher, Northern Ireland's CVO, said: "Surveillance for this disease within Northern Ireland has been increased to assist with detection at the earliest opportunity which will facilitate more effective control measures."

Farmers should report any suspicions of the disease to their private veterinary practitioner, the DAERA Helpline on 0300 200 7840 or their local DAERA Direct Veterinary Office.