Escaped Goat Halts New Jersey Traffic For Over An Hour
An escaped goat halted New Jersey traffic for over an hour yesterday. The goat likely escaped from a vehicle transporting her to a slaughterhouse. Embracing her freedom, the goat proceeded to run around and jump back and forth over the Pulaski Skyway divider.
The goat escaped around 7 am, stopping rush hour traffic until just before 9 am. The small brown goat eluded officers, with the New Jersey police department, as she frolicked in and out of the west and east-bound lanes.
As reported by Yahoo News, the escaped goat halted traffic heading to the Holland Tunnel, on the way to New York. New Jersey police report that the escaped goat caused a minor accident involving four vehicles. Luckily nobody was injured.
New Jersey spokesman Stan Eason points out that this is not the first time an animal has tied up traffic in Jersey City:
“We had full-sized bucked deer running around in the metropolis downtown of Exchange Place about two years ago… so nothing surprises us.”
The goat eventually relaxed, and slowed down, long enough for officers to catch her in a noose. They have not yet identified where she came from but assume she escaped on her way to a slaughter house.
The escaped goat has an ear tag from the Department of Agriculture, but she has not been claimed. The goat is considered private property and will have to be returned by law.
As reported by MSN, is nobody claims her, the goat will be sent to live on a farm owned by an animal welfare organization. Eaton expressed that it would be upsetting for the goat to be slaughtered after escaping and avoiding injury on the crowded highway.
As reported by Fox Houston, several goats escaped slaughter when they scaled an fence at a slaughterhouse in Norway. The seven goats were eventually found grazing in a park. Their owner granted them a reprieve, saving their lives. The owner said the goats earned it after their clever escape.
The fate of the escaped goat in New Jersey remains unknown. If the owner has not realized she is gone, or is not interested in retrieving her, she will likely be granted a pardon.
[Image via Wikimedia]
