By Gordon Deegan

A growing herd of wild goats roaming free in residential and business areas on the western outskirts of Ennis "are procreating like there is no tomorrow" and castrating the male goats in the herd should be considered.

That is according to a Fine Gael member of Clare Co Council, Mary Howard who told the April meeting of the Ennis Municipal District on Tuesday that there is “huge frustration” amongst people in Ennis over the goats.

She said: “But people don’t want to see them put down.”

Cllr Howard said that two of the kid goats roaming free around the residential Kilrush Rd area of Ennis were recently electrocuted at a local ESB sub-station while a third goat was recently adopted.

On what should be done with the goats, Cllr Howard said: “We need to address where their natural home is. People don’t want them culled but they want the herd reduced if that can happen."

Mayor of Clare, Cllr Tom McNamara (FF) told the meeting that “the disturbance that these goats are causing in the locality is totally unacceptable”.

Cllr McNamara said that the goats “are getting up on top of cars and going around businesses at night time”.

The goats are grazing around the Kilrush Rd area of Ennis and according to Cllr Pat Daly (FF) "are jumping up on cars and going into gardens in Clonroadmore, Clonroad Beg and Kilrush Rd".

Cllr Daly said: “A couple of motorists have told me that they nearly crashed into goats.”

Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) said that what is taking place “is a serious road safety issue and needs to be dealt with was a matter of urgency”.

Cllr Daly quipped that Fine Gael councillor, Johnny Flynn is now being called ‘Goat’ Flynn because of his work on the issue.

The debate on the goats arose from Cllr Howard tabling a motion calling on the Council to erect signage on the Kilrush Rd and N85 route warning motorists of the possibility of goats on the road.

In response, Senior Executive Engineer, Eamon O’Dea confirmed that the Council has contacted a a regional road office for the wild animal signs to be erected on the N85 and N68.

Mr O’Dea confirmed that the Council is endeavouring to contact animal sanctuaries and welfare organisations to arrange the capture and removal of the wild goats from the area. Mr O'Dea said that the council wanted to deal with the issue in a humane way.

Cllr Howard said that the Council’s actions in dealing with the goats “is moving in the right direction”.