Spring is here: The goats return to Goat Island in Murrells Inlet

Every fall, goats are taken to a farm for the cold winter months, and every spring they’re brought back to Goat Island in Murrells Inlet.

“We always put them back in the middle of April, after the trees leave out so they goats won’t eat the little buds,” said Al Hitchcock, owner of Drunken Jacks, the restaurant near the island.

The goats have been kept on the island for the past 24 years to keep the brush down and to keep people from growing marijuana there. On Tuesday, six adult goats and one baby were taken to the island.

This story was originally published April 15, 2015 at 7:56 PM with the headline "Spring is here: The goats return to Goat Island in Murrells Inlet."