Rescued goat Jethro
When Jethro the goat was rescued he hit the farm running. With no respect for gates and only fleeting respect for fences, he is proving a handful. His wild ways are even meaning that it is taking a while for him to be accepted by the herd.
Rescued as a breeding buck for a petting zoo, he was kept away from other animals and goats and as such was quite scared initially of the goat herd. However in time he settled into sanctuary life and overcame his fear.
In August 2020 when Jethro was rescued, he was angry at and terrified of those around him, repeatedly smashing the leg of the veterinary nurse in charge of looking over him and bleating loudly.
And while this behaviour was aggressive, it wasn't Jethro's fault that he was this way. Kept alone as a breeding buck, thought to be for a petting zoo, Jethro's early years were marked by isolation and neglect, a life void of companionship and enrichment. This environment left scars on his body but also on his spirit. He was trapped in a cycle of anger and fear, a reflection of the turmoil he had endured for years.
Jethro's rescue highlights not only his past anguish and suffering but another aspect of how animals are treated in our world.
Petting zoos may be intended to provide educational and entertaining experiences, especially for children, but they often fall short in meeting the animals' needs and respecting their natural behaviors. While they might appear to offer a chance for people to interact with animals up close, the reality is often quite different, with unnatural living conditions, removal of babies from their mothers, excessive handling, noise, crowds, health concerns to both humans and the animals, limited enrichment, and a lifetime impact, especially if the animal is no longer considered 'useful' and discarded or even killed once it is no longer a cute baby.
And then there is lonely Jethro, kept alive but alone, but not any less affected.
We believe that animals are not tools to be used for education or entertainment, but rather sentient beings with whom we share the planet. ????
Jetho's story has a happy ending. Although he struggled to become part of the FAR herd initially, after a few months he became quite a different animal, and now spends his days exploring his sanctuary with his rescued goat mates, climbing hills, finding tender shoots of grass, and then nestling at night safe in the barn on a soft bed.
We'd like to thank Jethro's sponsor whose support makes it possible for us to give him the best of care at sanctuary for the rest of his life.
