Circa 2018, we were enjoying some hamburgers al fresco at Five Guys near Mt. Moriah. As we ate, a truly surprising event unfolded. First came the white goat nonchalantly trotting through the parking lot, as if it was the most natural thing in the world for a goat to be trotting through a parking lot. Then came the Volkswagen Beetle that had been tracking it for who knows how long, possibly since it completed its returns at Kohl's.
Having no particular goat-catching expertise, we decided we would be more of a liability if we tried to help so over the course of about 10 minutes we watched goat, beetle, and a few other seemingly interested parties do what one Boarder Collie could have probably managed in about 2 mins. Eventually the goat was loaded into the extended cab of a truck in a way reminiscent of how one might strap a toddler into a car seat.
At the time, we thought 'hahaha, how crazy to have seen a goat running around an urban center like Durham, hahaha'. Little did we know that random goat sightings are par for the course for life in Durham.
Billy Geoffrey Clyde
A year later, in 2019, WRAL reported on a billy goat that wandered for over two weeks in Durham. (Apparently the Beetle must have lost the scent.) The sheriff’s office found the goat wandering near East Eberlee in July, and he stayed at Blind Spot Animal Sanctuary while they searched for his owners. When owners weren’t found, the sheriff’s office followed protocol (who knew there was a protocol for escaped goats) and auctioned Billy Geoffrey Clyde to the highest bidder, which luckily was Blind Spot Animal Sanctuary. The goat was put up for adoption and hopefully is now in a happy and fenced home.
A Truly Naughty Goat
Fast forward to 2025, when a Redditor posted about a goat near Southwest Elementary School on the American Tobacco Trail. The big white goat was chasing a woman around and then chased the Redditor! Funnily enough, that woman also posted in the Reddit thread and said that a kind bicyclist chased the goat away. You can visit the Reddit thread to see a photo of this aggressive goat.
Important tips from the Reddit post:
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Goats don’t care about pepper spray -- they may even enjoy it!
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Don’t try to force the goat off with a stick or walking pole. The goat will think it’s your horn and try to fight you.
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Don’t feed them.
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“There is no way to deter a truly naughty goat.”
Goat City
Then in summer 2025, a black goat was spotted at IQVIA on Ellis Road. No idea where this goat eventually found his home, but plenty of jokes were made on Reddit about Severance (...spoiler alert?), Black Phillip, and changing from Bull City to Goat City.
Wouldst thou like to live deliciously? IYKYK
What’s an easy way for you to have your own goat sighting?
If you want to set up your own goat sighting without having to wait for a goat sighting in the wild, there are several places in or around Durham where you can pay to spend time with goats. Spring Haven Farm, the Museum of Life and Science, Old Mill Farm, and Avery Family Farm are just a few Triangle places where you can see or interact with goats.
Show your goat pride with a Bull City Bumper goat-inspired bumper sticker!
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