The owner of a Langley hobby farm embroiled in controversy says he’s being used as a scapegoat.
Trevor French, 49, who has operated the 1.6-hectare farm for 10 years, said on Wednesday he did not put the 17 former Stanley Park petting zoo goats up for auction, where they may have been purchased for slaughter.
Instead, French said, after taking possession of the Pygmy and dwarf goats in January 2011 he was forced to give them away to local farms – along with other llamas, goats and dogs – as he continues to fight a bitter divorce battle with his former wife of 23 years.
“I’m trying to save the farm,” French said. “I did the best that I could in the time that I had. I do not believe any of these goats went to slaughter.”
French said once he realized he could lose his hobby farm early last year, he put up a posting in the local feed store advertising “free goats for good homes.”
Ken Pearson from Fraser Valley Auctions told the Vancouver Sun that French brought in goats for sale on at least four occasions. All together, there were 15 goats brought in, according to Pearson, who said he met French at the auction house and recognized the goats from photographs.
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But French told The Province that if the goats went to auction, he did not take them.
French also confirmed he attempted to operate a raw dog-food business, but was unable to make any sales of his “Grade A beef” product after advertising to sell it for $3.50/lb.
French now faces potential legal action from the Vancouver Parks Board for giving the animals away.
The last of the Stanley Park goats, a female named Tryka, now 12, was given up by French earlier this week after a meeting with a parks board official and former petting zoo employee at his farm.
He was told he breached the contract by not contacting the petting zoo, but claims to have sent emails to defunct accounts of employees who were either given new jobs or let go.
“I’m really hoping calmer heads will prevail. I don’t want it to go to court. I didn’t intentionally breach any contract. I gave these goats a home as long as I could.”
French has also taken offence to what he equates as bleating by Park Board Commissioner Constance Barnes about his handling of the goats.
He said the goats were “extremely obese and in poor shape when handed over to him, having walked on asphalt their whole lives and being overfed by petting-zoo guests.
“They had foot rot, they were locked in dark, cramped pens and never allowed to run free in a pasture as they did here.”
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