'Kid'napping raises concerns at Greenwich farm market

BY KIRK STARRATT

The Advertiser

NovaNewsNow.com

It's bahh-k!

It appeared to have been a genuine case of ‘kid’napping. Someone had a baby goat from the petting zoo at Hennigar’s Farm Market in Greenwich Wednesday, June 6.

Owner Doug Hennigar said they had a total of eight goats in the pen - three adults and five young ones - but he noticed one of the baby goats had disappeared when he went to feed them Wednesday evening.

The little goat was back home, safe and sound, by Saturday.

The goat, which is only a couple months old, stood out from the rest because of its colour and Hennigar noticed it missing because it usually greeted him at the pen door. He noticed also that the fence around the pen was dented in, possibly from someone climbing over the top.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time animals have gone missing from the petting zoo. Hennigar said they’ve lost a few bunny rabbits recently as well. They’re small and relatively easy to take. “There’s a certain level of honour,” he said about allowing people access to the animals in the petting zoo. “Most people respect it. They like to be as close as they can get.”

The petting zoo, which also includes peacocks, is quite a draw at the farm market, especially for young children. There are a lot of people in this day and age that don’t get to see animals like those in the petting zoo on a regular basis and parents are looking for opportunities to access farm animals as an enjoyable, educational experience for their children. “It’s enjoyed by a lot of people,” he said. “ It’s very popular.”

Hoping for public assistance

The staf was particularly distressed to lose the goat, especially considering that its mother was probably still nursing it. “I tend to think the mother goat will be upset,” Hennigar said just after the little animal went missing.

They had hope that someone in the public had information on the whereabouts of the small, multi-coloured goat. Hennigar said at the time that the person or people responsible could return the goat, no questions asked, and they would be welcome to come back and visit the goat anytime.

The greatest concern was that the person or people responsible might have decided to get rid of the animal.

RCMP spokesperson Cst. Les Kakonyi said he spoke with the investigator in charge of the case Thursday morning. The police were hoping that the individual or individuals responsible will return the goat to the farm, as soon as possible, no questions asked. The goat requires specific care and should be returned to the facility. “You wonder why people would do that,” he said about the stolen goat. Perhaps it was a spur of the moment idea, a sort of joke or prank. Perhaps someone intended to use it as a mascot or keep it as a pet.