Hundreds of Goats Are Running Amok in a Small Australian Town

Goats are adorable, it's a fact of life. But residents of Kambalda, Western Australia, are discovering that too many of these well-balanced mammals isn't such a good thing. According to Mashable, the small mining town has been overrun by a herd of 250 wild goats, and their presence is causing some very real issues for the humans living there.

In an interview with ABC Perth, Coolgardie Shire President Malcolm Cullen said that residents have been complaining about the goats helping themselves to flowers in private gardens, jumping and standing on cars, and causing safety issues by wandering onto roads. "It's been quite a bit of a dry season," Cullen said, theorizing that the abnormal goat invasion is the result of a search for water and food. The town also has an "ongoing" issue with feral dogs, which have dramatically decreased its sheep population, so while the issues with goats and motorists are serious, things could be (and have been) worse.

Cullen said that representatives have convened to devise a plan to trap the goats and direct them out of Kambalda, but he admits that there is no way to guarantee that the problem will be solved quickly. Reactions from the residents of Kambalda have been varied, ranging from outrage to affection to concern for the animals' well-being. 

[h/t Mashable]