Goat group 'furious' after feeding calls ignored

The goats live on the cliffs as part of a 10-year conservation project

Rangers who look after a herd of clifftop goats said they are "devastated and furious" after calls to stop feeding them were ignored.

The goats graze the steep cliffs between West Cliff and Southbourne in Bournemouth as part of a 10-year conservation project.

The Bournemouth Goats group has made multiple calls over recent months in an effort to keep them safe after people jumped into their enclosure and fed them inappropriate food.

It said on Monday that a resident had continued to feed the goats "poisonous garden cuttings" and that they could be linked to recent goat deaths.

Bournemouth Goats said the person had continued to feed the animals the cuttings despite being told previously not to and that it amounted to "a direct act of cruelty".

It said rangers had to physically jump into the goats' enclosure to remove them after the resident "chose to ignore" previous instructions.

"We now believe this behaviour is directly linked to the recent, unexplained deaths of several goats in this very enclosure," they said in a statement on Facebook.

The group said the animals "deserve respect, care, and protection"

"These deaths may not have been 'unexplained' after all. They may have been caused by the selfish actions of someone who thought they knew better - or worse, who simply didn't care."

The animals were introduced as a natural solution to control cliffside vegetation, replacing the need for petrol-powered mowers.

"We are devastated and furious that our warnings continue to be ignored," the group added.

"These goats are here as part of a 10-year conservation project. They deserve respect, care, and protection — not to be killed by human arrogance."