Harrowing disappearance of 3 baby goats ends with mysterious return, NC rescue says
A volunteer was praised as a superhero when she reportedly “dropped everything” to pick up three baby goats from an animal rescue in North Carolina.
Then they disappeared.
The goats — Mila, Scooter and Sweet Pea — were missing for nearly three days before they showed up early Sunday at the front door of a house belonging to Carolina Waterfowl Rescue’s executive director, according to posts on Facebook.
Carolina Waterfowl is a nonprofit wildlife rescue organization about 30 minutes south of Charlotte in Indian Trail.
“I just woke up to find all the goats at my house. I wasn’t really expecting them but I am very pleasantly surprised,” Jennifer Gordon said on the rescue group’s Facebook page, adding, “THEY ARE BACK HOME.”
The saga began Thursday when the Road to Refuge in Connecticut — a sanctuary where at least one of the goats was being relocated — posted that a volunteer would pick up Mila, Scooter and Sweet Pea from North Carolina that afternoon. Carolina Waterfowl confirmed around 3:30 p.m. the goats were “heading to their forever homes.”
More than 24 hours later, both rescues posted that the goats were missing after the volunteer recruited to transport them dropped off the radar.
“Last night, the transporter refunded all of our transport money and has decided to take it upon herself to determine the fate of these babies,” Road to Refuge said in a post just before 5 p.m. Friday. “These babies are all immobile and at least one is sick.”
Carolina Waterfowl said it believed the goats were being hidden on an unknown farm in North Carolina and reported the theft to police.
According to Road to Refuge, the volunteer and the three baby goats were last seen at a tractor supply store in Fuquay-Varina — about 30 minutes south of Raleigh — at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
“Everyone’s asking for an update but we are still completely 100% in the dark,” Carolina Waterfowl said on Saturday. “I am just physically ill tonight thinking about what these guys are going through living in the back of this van not getting any medical care.”
A little more than 12 hours later, rescuers shared the goats had been returned but were not in good health. Scooter, who uses a wheelchair, had diarrhea and the staff veterinarian had been called in to help, according to Carolina Waterfowl. The rescue said they didn’t think it was safe for them to travel right away.
According to Road to Refuge, the volunteer reportedly brought the goats to a sanctuary in North Carolina around 1 a.m. Sunday. But when the owner “stepped out for a short second,” she took them back.
“(Four) hours later, she showed up at Jennifer’s house and knocked on the door with them and left,” Road to Refuge said early Sunday. “We are just so happy they are safe. They are all being rushed to the vet currently because they all have very bad diarrhea and we are worried about dehydration and anything underlying going on.”
Carolina Waterfowl said it’s “not interested in pointing fingers or placing blame” but that they are treating the incident as a learning experience to better screen any volunteers transporting from outside organizations and conduct “a much more rigorous process of screening facilities before placement.”
In a final update Monday morning, the rescue added it isn’t keeping the goats because of any issues with the sanctuaries where they were due to be re-homed.
“After some thought and trying to put only the goats first we realized there were offers locally from places that would be much less stressful transport,” Carolina Waterfowl said. “Everyone’s emotions are running really high and calm, thoughtful decisions can be made when we’ve all had time to catch our breath. For now focus on goats and their medical needs.”
This story was originally published April 26, 2021 at 2:38 PM with the headline "Harrowing disappearance of 3 baby goats ends with mysterious return, NC rescue says."
