Goats take over town in Llandudno, Wales amid coronavirus restrictions

In what is becoming an increasingly common phenomenon as the coronavirus pandemic forces many to stay inside, wild animals have taken over a town centre as its usual human inhabitants retreat.

Goats have apparently taken over a Welsh town while people stay inside to try and avoid contracting or spreading the coronavirus as a pandemic grips the world.

Residents of the coastal resort of Llandudno in northern Wales noticed the wild goats roaming streets in the town centre.

Andrew Stuart is currently living in a pub in the town and first shared footage of the goats on Twitter last Friday.

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They weren’t moving from their midnight feast. And they were probably going to run riot on the town, what with nobody being about due to the lockdown. I also wasn’t sure if they were keeping the required 2m apart. pic.twitter.com/Yn69JWDV8p

— Andrew Stuart (@AndrewStuart) March 27, 2020

He filmed the goats tucking into hedges in Trinity Square, a few streets back from the beach, before calling police who attended and chased the goats off.

But they didn’t stay gone for long.

And they sent a patrol car down who turned on the big red lights. So, I’m sorry if the goats got arrested. But they were being very naughty.

Also, close the gates behind you on the Orme.

And stay 2m apart at all times.

🐐 🐐 🐐 pic.twitter.com/xczGrVoawL

— Andrew Stuart (@AndrewStuart) March 27, 2020

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Evidently not afraid of cops, the goats continued coming back into town over the weekend, and were again filmed munching on hedges come Monday.

“They run Llandudno now and we just have to accept that as fact,” Mr Stuart said in one of his tweets chronicling the goat’s conquering of the now empty town.

I think I am now the man who stares at goats (in the middle of the road) pic.twitter.com/Ptzh0zY5UC

— Andrew Stuart (@AndrewStuart) March 30, 2020

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He said the goats normally don’t come this far into the centre of the town but have been emboldened by the lack of people.

“They’re scared of me (a human) … They don’t like people. They usually only come down from the Great Orme when it’s windy, and only the backstreets at the top of Mostyn Street. Now lockdown means it’s empty, they’re going further than ever,” Mr Stuart reported.

The Great Orme is a headland to the west of Llandudno.

Llandudno is run by goats pic.twitter.com/C7nENePcEA

— Andrew Stuart (@AndrewStuart) March 31, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic that is forcing most people to stay inside has led to normally bustling city centres becoming relative ghost towns, to the delight of wild animals.

Pictures of the animals, blessed with the blissful ignorance of not knowing about the coronavirus pandemic or even being susceptible to it, have emerged from around the world as they return to cities, causing many to joke that “we are the virus”.

This has of course led to those people being mocked for seeming earnest on the timeline, with (often poorly photoshopped) images of animals and objects returning to their “natural habitats”.

with everyone on lockdown, the lime scooters are finally returning to the river. nature is healing, we are the virus. pic.twitter.com/I0IbCfiMnj

— ronnie mcdonnie (@taladorei) March 26, 2020

With everybody in quarantine the water in Lake Ontario has cleared up and the dolphins have returned to Webster Park. Maybe WE are the virus 🌎 pic.twitter.com/PT7rtiGZYA

— Danny Adamczuk (@TheDanAdamczuk) March 29, 2020

So beautiful to see wildlife returning to its natural habitat. We are the virus 🦠💔 pic.twitter.com/OvETtnI0pr

— miranda ayres (@mirandaayres29) March 29, 2020

since weve been inside this squirrel has gone back to his natural habitat. we are the virus ❤️ pic.twitter.com/JxAJ61eWrl

— gary from teen mom (@garyfromteenmom) March 30, 2020

Some have also raised concerns the “we are the virus” sentiment could be exploited by ecofascists, one of the self-descriptors used by the man responsible for 2019’s Christchurch massacre along with other telling labels like “ethno-nationalist” and “racist”.

Ecofascism blames immigration for environmental destruction rather than other, larger factors.