Steve the escaped goat, on the run for days, back home
By Amanda Rooker
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CLIVE, Iowa (KCCI) — Clive City Hall is home to an unlikely group of residents: a herd of 15 goats that belongs to the city.
“Clive has a herd of goats…and we use them to eat invasive species out of the greenbelt,” Clive Leisure Services Director Richard Brown said. “The Clive Greenbelt is something that helps really enhance the quality of life here and improve the water quality, so we want to be good stewards of that greenbelt. And the goats are really a huge tool to help do that.
During the spring and summer months, Clive’s Greenbelt goats graze on unwelcome weeds and other invasive plants. From November through April, the unique group of gardeners can be found just outside City Hall.
But this winter, one goat named Steve had different plans. Tuesday morning, when the goats were being loaded into their winter enclosure, Steve broke loose.
“[Steve was] one of the last two to be loaded and we think someone with a dog spooked him and [he] ran off into the greenbelt,” Brown said. “We had a tough time locating him for a few days.”
Brown said Steve was on the run for four and a half days and traveled all over town. Clive resident Emily Spears caught Steve on her Ring camera, roaming her neighborhood. And Kristy Hall and her family spotted Steve on their way to Thanksgiving dinner.
“I screamed at my husband, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s the missing goat! Turn around, turn around!’ So he turned around and we saw him just staring at us,” Hall said.
Steve then made his way to the car dealership, and his reflection in the window kept him busy. Hall and her family were able to corner him in the parking lot using a relish tray as bait.
Steve was captured Friday afternoon and Brown said he’s now back where he belongs. “He was very sneaky and roaming a lot of territory, but we’re happy that we got him back and he’s safe,” Brown said.
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