A rare, exotic goat is on the loose in central Pennsylvania and his owner is offering a reward of $1,000 if he is found safe.
The goat, an Eastern Caucasian tur, managed to escape his enclosure near Roxbury and Stonewall roads in Southampton Township, Franklin County sometime between Sunday night and Monday morning, the goat’s owner, Merv Oberholtzer, told PennLive.
Oberholtzer said the goat bent open a 2-foot wide hole in a section of deer fence and has not been seen since.
The goat is still considered wild. Anyone who spots it should be cautious and call Oberholtzer at 717-372-7288 with a location.
“He will ram you,” Oberholtzer said while explaining nobody should corner the missing animal.
Oberholtzer suspects the rare goat — which he purchased for breeding and conservation purposes, not as a farm animal — is within a mile or two of the property.
If the goat is spotted, Oberholtzer said he has a drone with an infrared camera to see the animal through brush and trees. He said his plan is to tranquilize the animal and try to corral it with a motorbike if needed.
Oberholtzer, who purchased the animal from Texas, owns another male Eastern Caucasian tur and a female Western Caucasian tur.
Eastern Caucasian tur populations are considered “near threatened” due to poaching and competition with livestock for grazing areas, Animalia.bio said. They are found in Western Asia, specifically the Caucasus Mountains.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, approximately 31,000 Eastern Caucasian turs are alive today. Western Caucasian tur goats are considered endangered, with a total population between 4,000 and 5,000.
Some exotic turs are available online for upwards of $10,000.
