Goat shootings in Folsom? Rumors dispelled by goat managers

Grazing goats being shot at in Folsom? That was the rumor swirling in some areas of the community last week, but the goat supervisors assured the public those rumors were absolutely untrue. The talk gained steam on a few Facebook chat pages, stating four goats had been shot in the Parkway area, where some of the goats had just been moved. Debbie Olympius, a field supervisor for Capra Environmental Services, the company contracted with the city for the goat and sheep herds, got a call early Monday, May 5, about reports that goats had been fired upon. An animal control officer from Folsom Police also responded to the call. "Myself and Paul the general manager rushed out there to the area on Parkway Drive where the guy had just moved the goats to a new section and absolutely nothing was harmed at all," said Olympius. "The goats were doing their usual: eating, running around and playing. We checked every goat that was there. I walked through all of them myself personally." Folsom PD left after determining it was a false report. Olympius said she was more than happy to dispel rumors circulating on social media, though this is not to say they are free from any challenges. For instance, they have run out of signs warning people the fences are electrified because young people keep running them down with their bikes. Another occasional issue is people ignoring signs to not feed the goats and dogs, which are there for good reason. Goats have died as a result of being fed things that are unsafe for them to eat. "People want to throw all their yard trimmings over the fence (to the goats), and some types of rhododendrons are edible to the goats and cause them extreme gastrointestinal issues so we always ask people please don't feed the goats," said Olympius. Despite these minor challenges, Olympius said the Folsom community has been quite welcoming of their herds, and hopefully word will get out that no goats were shot at or harmed and are happily gobbling up weeds and fire fuel, helping to keep the community safe. "The Folsom people are great. They keep an eye out for the goats, they're super pro-goat, we do a bunch of work for the city of Folsom and we're really happy working with them and working with all the residents," said Olympius. "We appreciate everyone's concerns; I just don't want false claims out there." According to Folsom city officials, goat herds will clear more than 730 acres this year, including areas previously maintained by human work crews.