This locked down Welsh town has been overtaken by goats

Transcript

While the U.K. undergoes strict lockdown measures to stop the spread of coronavirus, one group of Welsh residents is flouting all the rules.

The Great Orme Kashmiri goats of Llandudno, Wales, can usually be seen prancing about the hillside of the coastal town. 

But with folks in their homes practicing physical distancing, the goats have taken to the streets — and the yards, gardens and rooftops. 

"There's no cars, there's no people, there's no noise — there's nothing to stop them, so they are going for it," resident Andrew Stuart told As It Happens host Carol Off. 

"They're snacking on hedges. They're climbing on walls. They're climbing on all of the street furniture you can possibly find. They are climbing on houses as well."

Stewart, a web and video producer for Manchester Evening News, first spotted the wooly crew on Thursday night, running past the pub where he lives.

"They were just galloping down the street," he said.

"I went out and I checked what was going on outside. I got my camera out, filmed a little bit of it, put it on social media. So it's definitely happened. I hadn't had that much to drink."

Stuart has since dedicated himself to documenting his cloven-hooved neighbours' antics.

They seem to have developed a routine of roaming the streets by day, he said, and then settling down in a local church yard for a bit of R&R.

The townsfolk, he said, are big fans.

"Oh, they absolutely love it. They're our goats. We love them," he said. 

"They're not destroying things. They are causing a bit of a havoc and stuff. But, you know, they're not going around causing utter rampage like yobs or anything."

Plus, they offer a bit of levity in difficult times as the coronavirus sweeps through the U.K. and the world. 

In an effort to stop the spread of the virus, the U.K. has shuttered non-essential businesses, banned gatherings of more than two people, and asked people to stay home.

"[The goats are] really not abiding by any of that," Stuart said. "Maybe they're going for herd immunity. We don't know."

Written by Sheena Goodyear. Interview produced by Chloe Shantz-Hilkes.