Goat cull 'sad and unnecessary'

The goats have grazed in the 300-acre valley for years

A controversial cull of goats at a Devon beauty spot has been carried out, the town council has confirmed.

The wild animals have roamed for years within the Valley of Rocks at Lynton but have been escaping and causing damage to trees and gardens.

Lynton and Lynmouth Town Council voted in April to kill some of the goats. Mayor Suzette Hibbert said it had been done professionally and humanely.

But Jan Hunt from the Friends of Lynton Goats called it "sad and unnecessary".

Caustic soda

Some locals have described the goats, which graze in the 300-acre valley in Exmoor National Park, as "destructive and dangerous pests".

The council had decided in 2005 against culling the animals and voted instead to install fencing and a cattle grid.

But in January it appeared the goats had learned how to "tiptoe" over the grid to get back into the village.

I think the herd is really in trouble and it's a great shame because they are such an attraction Jan Hunt Friends of Lynton Goats

In March, 12 green peppers, thought to have been meant for the goats, were found stuffed with what was believed to be caustic soda crystals and baited blue grain, similar to rat poison.

And in April councillors voted for the cull, which was confirmed by Ms Hibbert in a statement issued on Friday.

She said the welfare of the animals and the public had been "paramount" throughout.

She could not confirm how many of the 100-strong herd had been culled but said only the billy goats were affected.

"We have said all along the nannies and kids would not be touched," she said.

But Mrs Hunt said the problem could have been solved by adapting a cattle grid and raising existing fences.

"It is so sad and so unnecessary, we're now left with a really depleted stock, the leaders and the strong ones are lost," she said.

"I think the herd is really in trouble and it's a great shame because they are such an attraction."