Saanen goat recovering well after gruesome attack

CAPE TOWN - After being stabbed and left to die in Philippi, a female goat is defying that fate and will be put up for adoption soon.

The Animal Welfare Society SA (AWS) said the Saanen goat, a breed that is internationally known for their calm temperament and exceptional mothering instincts, was rescued by a farmworker from a nearby vegetable farm after she was repeatedly stabbed in the chest and abdomen before being tied to a tree with a length of nylon cord in the Siqab informal settlement.

The knife wounds were badly infected, AWS said, and the smell of putrefying flesh led veterinarians to suspect that she had been left to suffer for several days.

“We have managed to determine the origin of the goat that comes from a well-known goat’s cheese farm in the Boland, and we have asked the farmer to check his records to see who she was sold to.

“These goats usually command ‘top dollar’ so there is also a strong possibility that she may have been stolen.

“Her breed (Saanen) are the epitome of a nanny goat and despite being terrified and traumatised by her ordeal, she was more than willing to allow us to examine, clean and treat her many wounds.

“She is responding well to treatment and definitely enjoying the tranquillity of our farmyard where we hope to see her flourish and make a full recovery before being put up for adoption,” the AWS said.

Their inspectorate is also following up on a lead from someone who claims to have witnessed a group of six men attacking her.

The motive for the attack is unclear and our investigation is ongoing.

Cape Times