New kid on the block
An SOS call to the Zululand Observer soon led to the Richards Bay SPCA being contacted and they were on the scene within minutes
TWO Alton employees had an unusual ‘start’ to their week when the sound of pitiful bleating interrupted their normal office routine on Monday morning.
Ursula Louw and Gwen van Zyl of Afri-Loo in Battery Bank traced the urgent cries to a row of portable toilets on the premises, where they discovered a tiny goat – barely a day old, and with no mother in sight.
The frightened kid, still with its umbilical cord attached and obviously hungry, soon found itself with two ‘nannies’.
‘We kept it warm and tried to give it some milk and it soon calmed down,’ said Ursula.
An SOS call to the Zululand Observer soon led to the Richards Bay SPCA being contacted and they were on the scene within minutes.
‘Baby goats are difficult to raise; they need extra care, including special milk,’ said SPCA official Wynand Strauss, who said the animal had been born over the weekend.
Sad to see their little bundle of joy taken away after they had bonded nicely, the ladies – who named the goat ‘Kobus’, after their boss – conceded it was in the kid’s best interests to receive professional attention.
‘We will keep listening in case its mother comes back to look for it,’ said Gwen.
The presence of a goat in the industrial area highlights the number of stray animals, usually cows that now inhabit the urban environment.
‘We are increasingly getting reports of stray and even dead cattle in Alton,’ said Wynand.
‘In cases where there are carcasses that must be removed, the public can call 035 9075789.’
HAVE YOUR SAY
Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter.
For news straight to your phone invite us:
WhatsApp – 072 069 4169
Instagram – zululand_observer
