Tiny Goat in Trouble

by Mary Kelly

  “I know,” Paul replied. “But you’ll be able to visit them again. “And it’s going to be a great story to tell!”

  “That’s true!” said Harry. “I can’t wait to tell my mum about it. I’m only sorry it wasn’t me who abseiled down the cliff to rescue the kid. I think I’ve changed my mind about wanting to be a farmer. I want to be an RSPCA inspector, so I can do animal rescues. That would be so cool.”

  Paul laughed. “I think you’d be brilliant,” he said.

  “How did you become an inspector?” Harry asked.

  “Well,” said Paul. “I started out volunteering at one of the RSPCA centres, and then I got so hooked I applied when a job came up to be an RSPCA worker. And I loved it – looking after the animals at the centre, helping to rehabilitate the ones that could be released back into the wild. Then I got interested in how animals are protected by law and I wanted to help people learn how to care for their animals, so after that I applied for a place on an inspector training course.”

  “Wow,” said Harry. “It sounds like you’ve had a lot of experience. Is it very hard work?”

  “It is,” agreed Paul. “But it’s exciting, too. You never know how your day is going to turn out when you’re an inspector. Sometimes I’m dealing with complaints about people not caring for their animals properly, or educating people about animal welfare. And sometimes it’s dramatic animal rescues – cats up trees, stranded dogs. . . We even had to rescue a squirrel trapped in a drainpipe once! I don’t know how it managed to get so far up. But the best times are ones like we had today. It’s the kind of moment you always hope for, and no matter how many animal rescues we’ve done, it’s always incredibly rewarding when it happens.”

  “I’d love to do that kind of work,” said Harry.

  “Well, I can see you already care a lot about animals,” said Paul. “Helping out on your uncle’s farm is giving you lots of experience. And when you’re old enough, you could do volunteer work, too.”

  “That would be great,” said Harry.

  “Are you peppering Paul with questions?” laughed Charlie, as he navigated the Land Rover down the twisting lane towards the farm.

  Harry nodded, with a grin. “I’m finding out all about how to become an RSPCA inspector,” he said. “But perhaps I should give Paul a break!”

  “You mean you’ve got more questions?” asked Paul, with a look of mock horror.

  “Loads more,” said Harry.

  “What else did you want to know?” asked Charlie.

  “I want to know more about the rope rescue team,” said Harry. “Did you have to do special training for it?”

  “Oh yes,” said Helen, turning round to look at Harry. “Don’t remind me,” she said, doing a mock eye roll. “I had four very wet days of it. And my instructor was really strict.”

  “Hey,” interrupted Charlie. “I was your instructor.”

  “I know,” laughed Helen. “I’m teasing. Actually, you were the best.” She looked back at Harry. “It was great – we learned all about rope rescue techniques, and about the different types of rope, how to tie knots and the safety and checking procedures. There was a test at the end of it all, to make sure we could set up a rope system and use it to rescue an animal.”

  “Did you get to rescue a real live animal, then?” asked Harry.

  “No,” said Charlie. “That would have been too risky. We used soft toys instead!”

  “I seem to remember I had to rescue a cuddly crocodile from a cliff ledge. Not something I’m likely to have to do again.”

  By now, they were drawing up at the farmhouse. Harry leaped down and they all trudged inside, taking off their coats and boots in the cloakroom and coming through to the welcoming warmth of the kitchen. Aunt Judy was already there, getting down the big teapot from the dresser.

  “You beat us!” said Harry.

  “I know,” crowed Aunt Judy. “You’ve been driving down all those winding country lanes. I only had to walk back across the field. Make yourselves at home everyone,” she went on, gesturing towards the kitchen table. “You’ll have to get past the dogs first though,” she laughed.

  Patch and Tilly rushed around saying hello to everyone, wagging their tails and enjoying all the attention.

  “I’ll just go and get that cake,” said Aunt Judy, placing the tea on the table.

  Harry followed her through to the larder. “Do you think Sooty will remember it all?” he asked. “Do you think he’ll remember us?”

  “I don’t know,” said Aunt Judy. “I’m not sure how long goats remember things for. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s a bit wary of cliffs from now on.”

  “Can we go back to the cliffs though, after the baby’s been born? I’d love to see Sooty again.”

  “Of course,” said Aunt Judy. “And then you can show him off to your new baby brother or sister.”

  Harry went to the cupboard and took down the chipped enamel mugs and an assortment of brightly coloured plates. He brought them to the table on a tray, along with the milk, while Aunt Judy set the teapot down on the table. Then the kitchen door banged open again.

  “Perfect timing,” said Aunt Judy, as Uncle Martin came in. “Come and join us for cake.”

  “So what happened?” asked Uncle Martin, settling himself down on one of the comfy chairs around the table.

  “A successful goat rescue,” said Charlie, shaking him by the hand. “The kid is back with his mother, happy and healthy.”

  “We’ve named him, too,” put in Harry. “He’s called Sooty.”

  “Fantastic news,” said Uncle Martin. “You’ll have to point him out to me next time we’re on the cliffs.”

  “Sorry for all this mess,” Aunt Judy apologized, as she began trying to hand out slices of cake amidst all the clutter. “What with all the farm work and the goat rescues, there never seems to be any time for tidying up.”

  “Well, I think you’ve got your priorities right,” laughed Charlie.

  “And you found time to make a cake,” added Maya. “I think that’s pretty impressive.”

  “This milk is about as fresh as it gets,” added Uncle Martin. “That’s what you get when you come to a dairy farm for tea.”

  “And this cake is delicious,” said Paul, tucking into a huge slice. “Thank you!”

  “I think we should have a toast,” said Charlie, once the tea had been poured. “To the goat rescuers!”

  “To the goat rescuers!” everyone cried, clinking mugs.

  At that moment, the telephone rang in the background, but Harry hardly noticed it, he was so busy hearing all about how Helen had continued training with a local inspector. Then he heard Aunt Judy’s soft voice in his ear.

  “Phone for you, Harry,” she said.

  “Oh!” said Harry, jumping up and taking the receiver.

  “Hello?” he said.

  “Harry, guess what!” cried his mum. “You’re a big brother at last! The baby’s come!”

  “Hooray!” cried Harry, punching the air.

  “And it’s a boy,” his mum went on.

  “Yes!” Harry cried again.

  His mum laughed.

  “Have you chosen a name yet?” asked Harry.

  “Leo,” replied his mum. “What do you think? Do you like it?”

  “I do. I can’t wait to meet him.”

  “Aunt Judy says she’s going to drive you over, later tonight.”

  Harry chatted to his mum for a little while longer, then she passed the phone to his stepdad, who sounded over the moon. Finally, Harry rang off, smiling as he put down the phone.

  “I’ve become a big brother!” he announced to everyone.

  “Congratulations!” cried Uncle Martin, and everyone made another toast with their mugs of tea.

  “This has been the best day ever,” Harry declared. “
We’ve rescued a baby goat and I’ve got a new baby brother. It can’t get better than that.”

  A month later, Harry was walking along the cliff tops to Willowbrook Farm. Only this time, he had his mum, stepdad and baby brother Leo with him. Leo was wrapped up against the cold in a fleecy blanket, a little tuft of dark hair peeping out from under his woolly hat.

  Harry was extra excited – not only could he show everyone where they’d rescued the goat, but Aunt Judy had rung to say that the duck’s eggs had hatched, and they now had six fluffy ducklings swimming about on the farm pond.

  His stepdad was carrying Leo in a sling, and Harry kept going over to take a peek at him, trying to make him smile by tapping him very gently on the nose.

  “I nearly got one!” he said.

  His stepdad laughed. “He’s still very young for a first smile,” he said. “Be patient. I’m sure it’ll come soon.”

  “I know,” said Harry. “I just want to be there to see it when it happens.”

  “Well, we already know how much he likes you,” said his stepdad. “You can tell by the way he kicks his legs whenever you come into the room.”

  “Perhaps when we’re older, we can train to be RSPCA inspectors together,” Harry declared.

  Harry’s mum groaned. “Two animal-mad boys! That’s all I need! Who’s going to come shopping with me?”

  “Sorry, Mum,” laughed Harry. “Not me.”

  “I’m not giving up yet,” said his mum. “Now, where is the spot of the famous goat rescue? I’ve heard so much about it, I’d love to see where it all happened.”

  “Just over there!” said Harry, pointing to the cliff ledge where they’d first seen the mother goat standing. “And the baby goat, Sooty, was all the way down there.” He pointed to the cliff ledge far, far below.

  “Wow,” said his mum. “That’s amazing that the RSPCA managed to abseil all the way down there. And even more impressive that they were able to get back up again with the kid.”

  “And there are the goats,” added his stepdad, pointing to the herd as they came into view, ambling along the cliff top paths.

  “Can you see Sooty?” asked his mum. Harry had described the goats to her in detail. “The mother is brown and white, isn’t she? And Sooty’s grey and white with black legs and black markings on his face.”

  “That’s right!” said Harry. “I don’t know if I can see them though,” he added, his eyes flicking through the herd, longing for a glimpse of them.

  The goats came to a stop a little distance away from them, and began grazing on the leafy shrubs.

  “There they are!” cried Harry suddenly, his eyes lit up with joy. There was the mother – he was sure it was her, recognizing her rich brown coat and the white diamond between her eyes. By her side was a little kid, though not nearly so tiny as a month ago.

  “Look how much Sooty’s grown,” said Harry. He looked strong and healthy, frisking about on his gangly legs.

  As they passed by, the mother goat looked up as if in recognition.

  “She knows me!” cried Harry. “I’m sure of it!”

  He gazed at both the goats for a moment, then came over to Leo. “Can I take him out of his sling, to show him the goats?” he asked.

  “Of course you can,” said his stepdad, passing Leo over to him.

  “Leo, meet Sooty and his mum,” he said, turning Leo around so he could see the goats. “I’ll tell you all about them when you’re older.”

  As he spoke, Sooty gave a little bleat and Leo smiled.

  “Did you see that?” cried Harry, delighted. “Leo’s first smile.”

  Harry’s mum laughed. “Amazing!” she said. “That confirms it – I’m definitely going to have two animal-mad boys.”

  Then the goats turned and began to run back through the tussocky grass. Harry watched them go – happy at the sight of the mother goat and her kid, gambolling under the spring sky. Soon they were lost among the rest of the herd, and Harry smiled as their bleating mingled with the screeching of the seagulls and the distant sound of the waves, crashing against the rocks far below. Harry knew these cliffs would always be a special place for him – a reminder of the day he was lucky enough to see the rescue of a tiny goat and welcome his little brother into the world.

  The Real-Life Rescue

  Although the characters and animals in Harry’s story are fictional, they are based on a real-life rescue in which a baby goat was stranded on a cliff face.

  An RSPCA rescue team had to abseil thirty metres down Castle Rock in Lynton, Devon, to rescue a baby goat stranded and separated from its mother. When the team arrived, the mother goat had already made it back to the top on her own, but her newborn kid was not with her. Two RSPCA inspectors, Marija Zwager and Will Hendry, abseiled down to the ledge and, after searching for some time, they found the frightened youngster hiding in a tiny hole on a ledge. The kid was put into a bag carried by RSPCA Inspector Hendry, and with assistance from RSPCA Inspector Zwager, they climbed back to the top. Once back on firm ground, and a safe distance from the cliff edge, the kid was reunited with its mum and within moments was happily feeding, no worse for the ordeal.

  The very steep cliff face

  RSPCA inspectors plan the rescue

  The mother goat

  Back on safe ground! Inspector Zwager holding the tiny goat

  Meet A Real RSPCA Inspector - Marija Zwager

  You were part of the real-life rescue that Harry’s story is based on. Can you tell us a bit more about the rescue?

  The goat colony is feral, and looked after by a group of locals. The RSPCA help regularly with monitoring them and helping worm them. The locals called the RSPCA out to help them after they had monitored the nanny [female goat] and realized she had kidded [had a baby]. She gave birth on a tricky ledge, and while she was able to climb back up, the kid wasn’t strong enough to. The mother goat was then seen calling to the kid and becoming quite distressed. She also had exceptionally full udders and if the RSPCA hadn’t intervened she could have had health problems, too.

  By watching the mother calling to the kid, we were able to establish roughly where the kid was. Me and another officer then abseiled down, one from each side in case the animal moved. Once we reached the kid, we were able to put it in a bag and hoist it up with us.

  What was the trickiest part of the rescue?

  The trickiest part of the rescue was finding where the kid was on the cliff face and making sure we didn’t startle the kid as we approached. As we were coming down the cliff edge we had to move very slowly and carefully. The ledge was so small we didn’t want the kid to back away and fall off accidentally. It was also hard to communicate with the rest of the team because we didn’t have very good radio signal and the wind was quite strong.

  Why did you want to work for the RSPCA?

  When I joined the RSPCA ten years ago I wanted to do a job that meant something, and that is still true today. I always loved animals, and working for the RSPCA means that I get to do something I believe in every day.

  How do you train to become a RSPCA inspector?

  All our new inspectors are trained in rope rescue techniques during their basic training. This is four full days in North Wales where the trainee inspector will learn about the different types of rope and their uses, tying knots and where and when the knots should be used, as well as lots of safety and checking procedures. At the end of the four days, the new inspectors are required to pass a practical test where they each demonstrate that they can set up a rope system and use it effectively to rescue (usually soft toys dropped on to ledges).

  Those inspectors who have passed and join their regional rescue teams, will train with their local inspectorate rescue team on a regular basis. Currently we have three rope-rescue teams around England and Wales.

  Could you describe a typical day at work?

  As I am p
art of the specialist rope team, my days are usually planned in advance – i.e., the animal may have been stuck for over a day, so the call goes out to the inspectors with specialist rope skills and the team is assembled and the abseil/climb planned. This small delay can help, as the animal is more tired by the time we get there so less likely to resist rescue attempts! So it’s a bit different from some of the other teams who have to react quickly.

  Four or five members of the team assemble, gathering together ropes, harnesses, helmets, walkie talkies, radios, bags to put the animal in, and stakes, etc. We drive as close as possible to the rescue, then walk with the equipment the rest of the way.

  What is the best thing about being an RSPCA inspector?

  The best thing about my job is when an animal is OK after rescuing them from a really tricky climb. It was a really heart-warming moment on this particular rescue when the mum goat started calling out to the kid as soon as she saw it and the kid immediately started to suckle when it was put next to the mum. It was just brilliant.

  To find out more about the work

  the RSPCA do, go to:

  www.rspca.org.uk

  Facts About Goats

  Baby goats are called “kids”.

  Female goats are called “does” or “nannies” and male goats are called “bucks” or “billies”.

  A group of goats is called a “trip”.

  Goats can be born with or without horns.

  Both male and female goats often have beards, and dangly flaps of skin on their neck known as “toggles”, “wattles” or “tassels”.

  Goats are very good at climbing. They can climb very steep cliff faces and can even climb trees!