Goat herd 'shouldn't need help from 999 services'

The herd live on a seven-mile (11km) stretch of cliffs at Bournemouth

Rangers who oversee a herd of clifftop goats have urged people to contact them rather than the emergency services if they spot any problems.

The herd of 50 goats graze the steep cliffs between West Cliff and Southbourne in Bournemouth.

The plea comes after firefighters were called to the cliffs when a goat got its head stuck in a fence on Monday.

Kid goat, King, was freed by the goat's grazier and has since been fitted with a dowel between his horns to stop him getting stuck again.

Kid goat King, got stuck after popping his small head through the fencing to explore the grass on the other side

After being called about the stuck goat on Monday afternoon, Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service sent a crew of firefighters but the service said they were unable to reach the goat safely.

At 16:00 BST it said a decision was taken to mobilise the technical rescue team from Poole "as we were unsure how long the owner would take to arrive... but the owner did arrive before the crew and dealt with the situation himself."

King has been fitted with a contraption to his horns to stop him getting his head through the fence

Tom Bennet, BCP ranger said: "It is important that people do phone BCP council and report issues with the goats rather than the emergency services.

"If a young one pushes their head through they do need releasing... just call the council they will alert the countryside team and we will take action."

He added King was fine after popping his head through the fence.

He said after having a contraption fitted to his horns: "He's happily grazing and he can't get his head through the fence again."

The goats have become something of a tourist attraction and even have their own social media accounts

The goats have become something of a tourist attraction since being introduced in 2009 and even have their own social media accounts.

With a consistent flow of passers-by, it is normally moments before any issues are raised, their grazier Mark Jackson said.

They live on a seven-mile (11km) stretch of cliffs year-round to graze back the invasive plants on the steep inaccessible cliffs.

Before the herd was introduced to munch the vegetation, BCP Council had to foot the cost of using specialist cliff teams to clear the cliffs.

The goats are part of a Environmental Stewardship agreement between the council and Natural England.