The ramvolution has begun.
A pack of wild goats is horning in on a tiny human community in Wales where the streets have been largely deserted due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The seaside resort town of Llandudno is typically rammed with tourists each summer, but the COVID-19 outbreak has forced everyone indoors and left plenty of room for visitors of another kind.
Locals have posted several photos and videos online of roughly a dozen wild Kashmiri mountain goats wandering around downtown Llandudno, where they could be seen hopping on benches and capering around on the pavement over several days.
One video shows the goats treating a retaining wall like a cliff face, standing precariously on the edge while munching on the scruffy grass growing between the stones.
Another video shows the goats wandering through a deserted downtown roundabout intersection.
“They are curious, goats are,” town Coun. Carol Marubbi told the BBC. “I think they are wondering what’s going on like everybody else.”
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Local reporter and self-described “goat correspondent” Andrew Stuart has been breathlessly covering the story since Saturday through various Twitter yarns threads.
“They’re still here,” he tweeted along with a photo on Tuesday. “They live here now I think.”
“I, for one, welcome our new goat overlords,” Stuart wrote on Monday, in a reference to The Simpsons.
The goats typically live on the nearby Great Orme reserve, but they have been known to seek shelter in town during bad weather, Marubbi told the Evening Standard.
The goats are said to have been introduced to the area back in 1907 after Queen Victoria received them as a gift from the Shah of Persia.
Marubbi says the animals are well-regarded in the community, and there are no plans to call in a goatbuster.
In fact, when it comes to distractions from COVID-19, this one might be the GOAT (greatest of all time) for residents of Llandudno.
“There isn’t anyone else around,” Marubbi said. “So they probably decided they may as well take over.”
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Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Health officials caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are legally obligated to self-isolate for 14 days, beginning March 26, in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others. Some provinces and territories have also implemented additional recommendations or enforcement measures to ensure those returning to the area self-isolate.
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.
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