Metchosin residents were on the look out for unexpected neatly mowed lawns or cleared bramble bushes, when a tribe of goats went on the lam.
The 11 miniature goats went missing on the evening of May 12, following a confrontation between their owner, Hounaida Bellasfar, and a black bear, sparking a frantic search.
But after nearly 24 hours on the loose in the wilds of Metchosin, they returned home safe – found nearby at the top of a hill, on a clifftop.
Bellasfar and her neighbour were alerted to the location of the goats when they heard buck Sunny’s bleats echoing down the hill.
“The buck has a very ugly voice when he’s horny, but this time it was the sweetest voice ever,” said Bellasfar.
The drama began when Bellasfar set off for a walk with her dog, finding a "huge" bear outside her home on Leefield Road. Instinctively, Bellasfar went on the defensive, creating as much noise as possible to scare the intruder away.
She screamed, yelled and jumped into her car to blast the horn – anything to protect her beloved goats and chickens.
"He was very comfortable and not impressed by my dog,” said Bellasfar, who spent nearly an hour trying to scare the bear away. “So I had to keep screaming at him, and little by little he moved away.”
With the wild neighbour in retreat, Bellasfar checked on her livestock – her chickens were all accounted for, but her goats – one buck, four does and six kids – had all made a run for it, startled by the commotion.
“They have never left the property before,” said Bellasfar.
With all goats wearing bells around their necks, Bellasfar hoped the herd would be easy to locate, but the next day, there was still no sign.
“Usually by 7 a.m. they are screaming in front of my house because they want to be fed – this is their routine,” she said. “So probably they have found somewhere and they are just eating grass, and now they are lost and don't know how to come back.”
Originally, Bellasfar had planned to use the goats for milk, but after two years, their unique personalities have won her over and she now regards them as pets. “I just love them, they are adorable and very gentle goats.”
One of them, Nara, Bellasfar raised by hand after she was rejected by her mother. “She's very attached to me. She used to come and hike with me and come jump to sit on my lap when I drove, until she became too big.”
The “sociable and gentle” goats are a mixture of colours – brown, black and white – and all answer to individual names including Nara, Hope, Sunny and Cupcake.
Now safely back at home, Bellasfar plans to spoil her herd with fresh vegetables and plenty of attention. "I'm very grateful they are back," she said.
