A Kilkenny based man has appealed to the public to watch out for his newborn goats after they were stolen on Friday.
Francis Nesbitt says his family and the mother goat Francesca are heartbroken after it.
The parent gosts were my son's Christmas present, and he had plans to breed them. He was already planning the next generation from the 2 little females. I feel so guilty for having posted the pics now
— Francis Nesbitt (@NesbittF) March 26, 2022
Three Baby Goats
He says his teenage son has wanted to breed pygmy goats for years, and finally got that chance last week.
On Wednesday night, their goat Francesca gave birth to three babies, two girls and a boy.
Francis, obviously over the moon, posted photos on social media the next day.
He says the tiny animals made lots of people smile, but that came at a cost:
"Unfortunately it also seem the wrong kind of people saw the photos.
The very next night, the three, at that stage two-day old baby goats were stolen."
They May Be Sold
Francis suspects the goats have been stolen to be sold online:
"They've become increasingly popular as pets.
Unfortunately that means they're fetching some crazy prices.
A female pygmy goat could go for 600 euro or so, and a male about 200 euro."
Francis says Gardaí in Kilkenny are involved and have been helpful.
A spokesperson for An Garda Siochána told us:
"Gardaí are investigating the theft of a number of animals from a premises in Dunmamagin, Kilkenny, that occurred on Friday, 25th March, 2022.
No arrests have been made, investigations are ongoing."
Francis is appealing to people not to buy goats from suspicious internet ads, and to raise the alarm with Gardaí if they spot his goats.
