Runaway Goat Causes Chaos, Mystery in Melbourne, Australia


The mystery surrounding a runaway goat that snarled traffic and shocked onlookers in Melbourne, Australia, Monday remains even after the goat's capture.

Drivers and passersby first spotted the billy goat outside the Melbourne Zoo around 10 a.m.  as it darted shot in and out of traffic, police said.

The agile animal evaded capture by police officers, and a news crew, for nearly four hours before it was finally reined in around 2:30 p.m.

One witness described the officers as "running around like headless chooks!" in their attempt to catch the goat, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

While the goat, nicknamed "Houdini," was taken to a local animal shelter for evaluation, police and Melbourne Zoo authorities alike were left wondering where, exactly, the goat had come from.

A spokeswoman for the Melbourne Zoo told the Herald that none of its animals had escaped, and that goats were not even kept in captivity at the zoo.

Authorities had been on heightened alert in recent weeks for free-roaming goats in the area because of a number of similar, unexpected sightings, including one last week near the city's CityLink toll roads.

The goat captured was the first one to be caught, but authorities said they didn't know whether it  was the same goat as in all the previous sightings.

"Being a goat, it is fairly quick and agile," a CityLink spokeswoman told the Herald last week.  "We are increasing our watch of the area and keeping our eye on it."