ARLINGTON — Donations and adoption offers have come pouring in to Ellen Felsenthal as word has spread about the 80 orphaned goats she is taking care of on her Arlington farm.
She has placed another 26 homeless goats in “foster” pastures with friends.
Since the rescue was publicized this week, Felsenthal said she has received around $500 in donations and 20 calls from people interested in adopting goats.
She has already eliminated several callers who didn’t have the proper facilities to care for goats, or who wanted to use them for meat. One man offered to take all the female goats for meat, but Felsenthal declined.
“A lot of people see it as free livestock, but most of the people have understood what we’re trying to do,” she said. “This week and next week I’ll be visiting people’s places and making sure they’re safe and talking to them about goat care and helping them pick goats.”
Their former owner, an elderly woman who considered herself an animal rescuer, died in early December at her home near Lake Cavanaugh in Skagit County. After she died, sheriff’s deputies found 155 goats; between 20 and 30 cats; several geese, ducks and chickens; and one llama running loose on 25 acres.
Some of the goats were euthanized and the rest were trucked to Felsenthal’s farm.
Reporter Kaitlin Manry: 425-339-3292 or kmanry@heraldnet.com.
Get your goat
Ellen Felsenthal is looking for families to adopt about 100 goats that were orphaned when their owner died in early December.
Goats are social, so people interested in adopting should either already have goats or be willing to adopt a pair, said Felsenthal, who owns New Moon Farm goat sanctuary and rescue in Arlington.
Prospective owners also need space and time to care for goats properly, she said.
“I want them to be pets,” Felsenthal said. “I don’t want them to be used as food.”
For more information on the goats, go to www.newmoonfarm.org.
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