May 23, 2008

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – Traveling the wrong way on a highway would normally be grounds to be pulled over by police, though not in the case of the subject doing so Monday on the Cross Island Parkway -- a goat.

An ambulance and fire engine blocked traffic while sheriff’s deputies tried to capture the goat on the Charles E. Fraser Bridge, but she jumped approximately 50 feet, Battalion Chief Cliff Steedley toldislandpacket.com

The 70-pound nanny landed in waist-deep mud and was removed by firefighters.

"The goat is acting normal today," said Toni Lytton, director of county animal control and the Beaufort County Animal Shelter, where the goat was resting comfortably.

The rescue operation began just before 1 p.m. when a fire engine company on its way to training noticed the adult female goat walking into oncoming traffic in the westbound lanes. The goat was headed toward the beach while cars were headed toward the toll booths.

For the next three hours, the goat continued to fight her way through the marsh while firefighters came up with a plan to get her out. They first attempted to rappel down the bridge using rope, but called that off because the goat kept moving farther away and there were safety and traffic concerns.

With the goat about 1,000 feet from her original location, firemen used a bystander's personal watercraft and a boat from nearby Palmetto Bay Marina to navigate through the bridge pylons and marsh. They then hoofed it through the mud to get their goat.

Firefighters sedated the animal and tied it down before placing it on a stretcher. One fireman also got stuck in the thick mud but was able to get himself out on his own.

Despite the ordeal, the goat appeared not to have any significant injuries, though she was in need of a serious bath from the smelly mud. She was hosed off at the shelter Monday evening.

“We fed her,” said Dr. Frank Murphy, the shelter's veterinarian and founder of the Beaufort County Animal Rescue Team. “Gave her some water, and she's as happy as can be."

If the goat is not claimed, the chances of her being adopted are high. The shelter will hold the goat for at least two more days to give its owner a chance to claim it before the adoption process begins.

"We've had several calls about the goat," Lytton said.

"I can't think of ever having to put one to sleep," Murphy said, "and I've been the doctor at the shelter for 35 years."

This was the second rescue involving a goat on the Cross Island Parkway in recent years. In September 2006, deputies ran after a goat that had escaped from a home. That nanny was eventually caught by residents and returned to its owner.

"You'd be surprised at the number of people who have goats in their backyards," Murphy said.

The county animal shelter in Beaufort is mainly populated by dogs and cats. Livestock has to be placed quickly because it tends to take up outdoor space at the shelter that dogs need to exercise.

The goat was lucky it didn't make the leap at high tide. A fall from that height into water would probably have severely injured the animal, Murphy says.

Murphy wasn't surprised the goat caused a ruckus on the bridge.

"All goats seem to have a knack for getting into places they shouldn't," he said. "If goats have nine lives, she used them all up yesterday.”

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The Associated Press contributed to this article.