Elderly arthritic goat eludes captors with tranquiliser gun Picture: Twitter @SandraEckersley Source: Twitter
AN ELDERLY female goat which has eluded captors for 11 years is on the run again near the northern NSW resort town of Byron Bay after escaping an elaborate plan by handlers to seize her.
The animal is the last of the fabled goats of Cape Byron, Australia's most easterly mainland point, which have roamed the cliffs below the lighthouse for more than 100 years since it was built in 1901.
A team of 18 RSPCA, National Parks and Wildlife and Voluntary rescue Association officers assembled at 5.30 this morning above a cove with sheer sides where the goat was stranded.
Two men armed with a tranquiliser gun abseiled into the cove, prompting the goat - despite her age, emaciated appearance, arthritic legs and a hip injury - to take off in a burst of energy.
"She got an adrenalin rush," RSPCA inspector Alistair Hill said. "She saw our two men coming down and she didn't want a bar of it."
Nicknamed "Wate-goat" after the local Wategos Beach, the animal had been trapped 100m down the cliff below the lighthouse for several days, with little access to food or water.
The goat has become a legend in the area, after she managed to avoid the relocation of the last herd of Cape Byron goats which were removed in 2006 by National Parks and Wildlife officers following complaints that the feral animals were ruining vegetation.
Before that, Wate-goat, a solitary animal, had been presumed dead for three years before locals spotted her on a rocky outcrop.
Mr Hill said he would continue to pursue the goat, which will be sent to a hinterland farm to see out the rest of her days.
However, Byron locals are not happy to see the end of an era.
Kathy Frame said the goat was a "much-loved" local personality.
"She's an absolute icon," Ms Frame said. "She's been there most days when we go for a walk on the cape, until a couple of weeks ago when we noticed she was missing.
"She got trapped in a cove and we could see she had fallen, because she had blood all over her hip.
"She lost a horn in the cyclonic weather a few months ago, so she is deteriorating.
"We'd hate to see her go, but I guess if it's for her health's sake, we'll accept the vet's decision."
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