Rangers who oversee a herd of clifftop goats have urged people to contact them rather than the emergency services if they spot any problems.

The herd of 50 goats graze the steep cliffs between West Cliff and Southbourne in Bournemouth.

The plea comes after firefighters were called to the cliffs when a goat got its head stuck in a fence on Monday.

Kid goat, King, was freed by the goat’s grazier and has since been fitted with a dowel between his horns to stop him getting stuck again.

The goats have become something of a tourist attraction since being introduced in 2009 and even have their own social media accounts.

With a consistent flow of passers-by, it is normally moments before any issues are raised, their grazier Mark Jackson said.

They live on a seven-mile (11km) stretch of cliffs year-round to graze back the invasive plants on the steep inaccessible cliffs.

Before the herd was introduced to munch the vegetation, BCP Council had to foot the cost of using specialist cliff teams to clear the cliffs.

The goats are part of a Environmental Stewardship agreement between the council and Natural England.

  • Ilovethebomb
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    2 months ago

    I love the idea of council owned goats with official keepers.