Goats grazing in Charlotte area park recovered by owners
Clarification: Eaton County Parks and Recreation said there were six goats picked up from Crandell Park, not 40 to 50 as originally stated.
CHARLOTTE — The owners of a herd of goats − a significantly smaller flock than originally reported by officials − recovered their wandering stock Thursday afternoon after Eaton County parks officials pointed out the grazers had laid claim to a grassy portion of a county park.
The Eaton County Parks and Recreation Department published a Thursday plea on its Facebook page for the owner of 40 to 50 goats to corral their livestock.
"Eaton County Parks and Recreation is asking for help in locating the owners of goats that are appearing at Crandell Park," the department wrote. "Although we love animals and dream about a petting zoo some day, they are causing quite a bit of damage."
Travis Keeton, director of the Eaton County Parks and Recreation Department, clarified Thursday that original estimates were wildly overstated, and that the owners picked up six goats. He said the original number came from a second-hand account of the goats from a nearby farmer who assists the department in clearing tall grass at Crandell Park near Charlotte. Keeton didn't identify the owners nor the neighboring farmer.
"We initially did the post because we had initial reports and were never able to see the goats," he said. "We lease that property to a farmer and he harvests the tall grass for hay which helps us maintain the property and do preventative maintenance. He had reached out to me stating he'd seen crop damage from goats."
Staffers took the strange occurrence in stride and wrote they are experiencing baaad luck catching the goats as they "disappear faster than the field of dream ballplayers."
Keeton said the Facebook post was an outreach effort to the community and was written in jest. The department isn't interested in creating an actual petting zoo. He noted the park is in a rural area where landowners could have goats.
No criminal charges will be filed against the owners.
"We just wanted to get as much ahead of the situation as much as possible and make sure it won't happen," Keeton said.
Support local journalism and get unlimited digital access! Subscribe for only $1 for three months!
Contact reporter Krystal Nurse at 517-267-1344 or knurse@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @KrystalRNurse.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Goats grazing in Charlotte area park recovered by owners
