Bodhrán makers suspected as herd of goats goes missing

No kidding: a herd of wild goats has gone missing in Co Waterford, with bodhrán makers currently the prime suspects.

A herd of around 20 goats has vanished from the hills around Passage East, Co Waterford.

They disappeared overnight a few weeks ago from a spot where a herd of wild goats has been resident in the area for at least the last two centuries.

Now a reward of €1,000 is being offered for information regarding the disappearance.

Attempts have been made to discover the whereabouts of the goats, but to no avail. The local search and rescue helicopter has even been deployed in the hope of spotting the missing animals.

Searches of the area, including some by the local search and rescue helicopter, have proved fruitless.

Gardaí are investigating, as is the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

It is rumoured that the goats were rounded up by sheepdogs and loaded onto a lorry. Those who took the goats left behind one puck and seven kids.

By way of explanation for the 'kid'napping, it has been reported that the animals were taken with the intention of eventually being killed and used to make bodhráns.

That's if they haven't been slaughtered and turned into musical instruments already.

A local resident has put up a €500 reward for information leading to the finding of the goats, with the Passage East car ferry company matching that amount.

Anybody who believes that they have information that could be useful to the investigation is asked to contact gardaí at Passage East.