Vets for Compassion was recently contacted about a little goat who had been dumped on a tiny island in the middle of a suburban lake… alone, scared, and out of reach.

When our reconnaissance team assessed her, it was clear she couldn’t stay. There wasn’t enough vegetation to sustain her and, more importantly, she was completely alone. Goats are herd animals and they aren’t meant to live that way. But rescuing her wasn’t going to be easy.
 
The island was surrounded by water, bordered by a children’s playground and with houses less than 100 metres away. She’d bolt at the sight of a human from 40 metres away. We couldn’t dart her near the water’s edge. We couldn’t let her escape onto land. Every scenario had a risk.
 
So we planned. For more than a month.
 
The Vets for Compassion team made multiple site visits, set up trail cameras and a feed station, cleared paths, and monitored her movements for 10 days. We had Plans A through E mapped out.
 
On the day, teams were positioned on both sides of the lake in case she decided to swim. A drone team tracked her every move and relayed her position in real time.
 
The goat was carefully darted with a light anaesthetic, examined by two of our vets on the island, then carried to the boat (complete with her own little life jacket) and brought safely to shore, where our third vet was waiting.
 
After 14 days of mandatory quarantine, she was officially adopted by the wonderful team at Edgar’s Mission. Her name is Nina. Spanish for “little girl.”
 
She has settled in beautifully, is eating well, and has a whole group of sheep and goat friends waiting to meet her. No more alone. No more island. Just a safe, full life ahead.
 
Even though all our rescuers are volunteers, rescues like this cost a lot of money. Will you help keep our teams on call 24/7, ready to help every animal who needs us?