Goat feasts on chicken, fish

A goat feeds on burned cactus in the absence of green pasture, in the town of Canudos, in the part of Bahia State declared to be in a drought emergency, January 15, 2013. Brazil's northeast is suffering its worst drought in decades, threatening hydro-power supplies in an area prone to blackouts and potentially slowing economic growth in one of the country's emerging agricultural frontiers. Lack of rain has hurt corn and cotton crops, left cattle and goats to starve to death in dry pastures and wiped some 30 percent off sugar cane production in the region responsible for 10 percent of Brazil's cane output. Picture taken January 15, 2013. REUTERS photo

Ever thought of a goat that feasts on chicken and fish. It will be difficult to come across such a one.

But a female goat reared in a home in a village near here prefers meat and fish over plant diet to which other members of the species stick to.

According to Sakeer of Nurungel near here, his goat has almost made the non-veg fare its regular menu, never missing a chick that happens to pass by it.

The goat also relishes leftover of fish, served to it by Sakeer's wife.

Sakeer has bought the goat some six months back. A few days later, he found a chick missing from his pen. He blamed it on snakes or mongoose that often sneak into his courtyard. But as chicks went on missing, he kept vigil and to his great surprise one day he found the goat making a feast of one of his chicks.

He later confirmed the goat's diet preference by offering a chick to it, which she savoured within minutes.

"The goat has eaten about 50 chicks in the last six months," Sakeer claimed, adding, "it has not developed any health problem on account of the non-veg menu."

According to veterinarians, it could be due to some genetic disorder that Sakeer's goat made a habit of eating meat and fish. They have collected blood samples of the goat for laboratory tests.