A baby goat born on a family farm in B.C.’s Fraser Valley was named Houdini—a nod to the escape artist in recognition of his fondness for hopping over the fence meant to keep him on the property.
But when the 10-pound miniature goat with the bright blue eyes disappeared before bedtime recently, his owners realized something was amiss.
“He wasn’t there, and his mother was bawling,” Ronn Harris, who owns Stonewall Farms in Mission, told CTV News on Monday.
“We tried not to panic,” Ronn’s daughter said, adding that Houdini’s mom, Oreo, was obviously distressed by the absence of her not-yet-weaned kid.
“They do cry, and it’s very sad. They make terrible noises, it’s just awful.”
While Houdini is “very clever,” Ronn says he never strays more than 10 or 15 feet away from the property line after hopping the fence and that the baby goat would always “jump right back in” when he saw his herd moving.
The tiny goat is also very popular among neighbours who stop by regularly to feed and visit him. On the morning of May 27, one of those neighbours gave Ronn and Lauren information that led them to make a police report and publish an appeal on social media.
The neighbour told the Harrises a woman had stopped her vehicle, scooped up the pint-sized animal and driven away.
“They thought that was a little strange, but the woman evidently said, ‘Oh, I’m taking him up the house,” Ronn recalled, adding, “that was not the case.”
Local Mounties have confirmed a police investigation is underway.
Mission RCMP have spoken with the owner of the goat and canvassed the area for CCTV footage, but at this point, no suspect has been identified,” a spokesperson told CTV News in an email.
Lauren said this goat has been a loss for her family and the community—and she is appealing for whoever took Houdini to bring him back.
“This person is just really stealing a lot of joy from all the neighbourhood kids and all of our neighbours who come on a regular basis to feed the goats treats. It’s upsetting,” she said.
“They’re very welcome to just discreetly place him gently back over the fence, no questions asked.”
In addition to notifying police, the family has tried calling the BC SPCA and other rescue organizations to see if Houdini was surrendered, but their efforts have not yielded any results.
Facebook posts about the “drive-by kidnapping” have been shared hundreds of times, and Lauren said most of the comments have been from people who are outraged at what seems like such a senseless theft of a beloved animal.
Anyone with information about the missing goat that could assist police is urged to call 604-826-7161 and quote file number 26-7192.
