Rather than slaughtering them, he prefers to give them away. Riccardo Gullo, the mayor of Alicudi, wants to adopt the approximately 600 goats found on the small volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian Sea. They have multiplied in recent years and are wreaking havoc in nature and gardens. Adoption candidates have until April 10 to register.
The idea came to the mayor after a census estimated that the goat population is six times higher than the human population. There are only 100 inhabitants on the island located north of Sicily. The animals, brought to the island 20 years ago to be domesticated, were released into the wild when the breeding project fell through.
“A more beautiful and humane way to control the problem”
Their number has been constantly increasing since then. “They move in packs and cause damage, there are simply too many of them,” explains the cafe owner to the Guardian, who describes them as “unmanageable”.
Anyone can apply to adopt a goat. There is no need to be a farmer and there are no restrictions on numbers. “If someone has the ability to domesticate (the animal), it could be a more beautiful and humane way of controlling the problem,” underlines Riccardo Gullo in the columns of the British media.
“We have already received several phone calls, notably from a farmer on the island of Vulcano who would like to take several goats because he produces, among other things, a very popular Ricotta cheese,” he continues. However, residents question the feasibility of the project. The island is steep and bringing the goats down would require significant logistical resources, such as the deployment of helicopters.