Goats invade Llandudno in Wales as empty streets give wildlife a chance to flourish during coronavirus lockdown A large herd of Kashmiri goats have been feasting on flowers and hedgerows

A quiet seaside town has become overrun with goats who are sauntering down from higher ground to feast on the hedgerows of housebound residents.

With locals in lockdown, as many as 122 Kashmiri goats have ventured into Llandudno, North Wales, from nearby Great Orme, a country park on a stretch of coastal headland.

And now the streets are filled with the sound of trotting hooves as the confident tribe pilfer bay leaves from local hotel car parks and patches of ivy from front gardens.

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“They’ve had my bay trees and my ivy hedge,” Mark Richards, the owner of Lansdowne House bed and breakfast, told i.

‘They’ve had my bay trees’

“We’re close to the foot of Great Orme, and the goats often come down in the spring to eat a few hedges, but since the town is so quiet, they’ve pretty much moved in.

“The roads and streets are so empty and they’re becoming really confident. They’re wandering down the high street and don’t seem to care if they see the odd car.”

Locals who popped out to fetch essential supplies from food shops spotted the invasive herd last week.

122-strong herd

Leroy Bennett, who lives closer to the town centre, said he didn’t expect to see quite so many hanging about the deserted neighbourhoods nibbling on well-kept foliage.

He said to i: “It’s a quiet town anyway, and they have been known to come down, but this is well beyond what happens normally.

“I popped to the shops the other day and there were loads out – they were everywhere. People have been moaning about their front gardens, but I suppose this is the goats’ town now. It’s their time.”

Confidently wandering

The adventurous goats have been written about before, but have risen to new-found fame largely thanks to journalist Andrew Stuart, who has shared dozens of videos and pictures of the animals on Twitter.

He said the goats tend to meet on Trinity Square before setting off to feed: “There’s hardly anyone around. They can do what they like,” said Mr Stuart.

A spokeswoman for North Wales Police said it isn’t unusual for goats to become more curious after the cold winter months and added no officers would be attending calls as they will likely make their own way back to the Orme.

But it would appear wildlife is flourishing as urban settings sit dormant. Elsewhere, in Bergamo, Italy, wild boar have been seen exploring the town, having slipped in from the surrounding forest.