A small island in Sicily — Alicudi — was overrun by wild goats. Only 100 people and as many as 600 goats live here, which causes a lot of trouble for the locals. The authorities havedevisedh an unusual action, which, in their opinion, should help get rid of the animals, the New York Post reports.
According to the portal, goats were brought to the island by a farmer about 20 years ago. At some point, he released them into the wild, where they began to multiply uncontrollably and took over the city. They roam freely in residential areas, invading houses, destroying stone walls, and destroying native flora.
Local authorities could not cope with the growing artiodactyl population on their own, and Mayor Riccardo Gullo announced a “goat adoption” program that will allow people who submit a request to adopt up to 50 goats practically free of charge. The only condition is to have your boat take them off the island.
Those wishing to “adopt goats” just need to send a formal request by email to local authorities and pay about $17 in stamp duty. Once the application is approved, the person has only 15 days to capture the goats and remove them from the island.
“Since we first announced the promotion, we have received dozens of applications, including from a farmer on the neighboring island of Vulcano who produces goat cheese,” Gullo said.
Gullo hopes that the people who take the goats will tame and care for them rather than turn them into meat.
Goats will be distributed until there are no more than a hundred of them left on the island. This number of animals, locals believe, is enough for tourists vacationing in Alicudi to take photos with them.