Cupids -
They have survived bullets and the worst weather Mother Nature can dish out, and still manage to find sustenance on a precarious cliff face overlooking the harbour.
The two goats on Spectacle Head in Cupids have certainly lived up to the species' reputation for being co-ordinated, curious, intelligent and resilient.
And they've become something of an attraction over the years as they climb like phantoms along the rocks, maintaining their balance on the most precarious terrain imaginable.
"They're there this morning, just down from the American Man (a pile of rocks atop Spectacle Head)," retiree David Akerman said when asked if he had seen the goats recently.
The sure-footed and gristly goats - both males - were recently featured in a souvenir calendar distributed by the Loyal Orange Lodge in Cupids.
Residents who live across the harbour from the hill routinely make it part of their day to look for the animals. Visitors can often be seen parked on the roadside, peering through binoculars or cameras with telephoto lenses, and employees at the local Quin-Sea fish plant have also taken a shine to them.
Fishing crews entering the harbour make a point of eyeing the goats, and a local bed and breakfast even references the goats on its website, encouraging guests to "watch wild goats perched on the majestic landscape ..."
It's not known exactly how long they've been surviving on this cliff. It depends on who you talk to. But estimates range from seven to 15 years.
Area residents are quite familiar with the story of how the goats came to make the cliff their home, but usually shy away from saying who used to own them.
That's likely because of the sensitivity around the issue of animal welfare.
The story goes like this: the area behind the cliff is a well-known pasture, where goat owners would routinely leave their animals during the summer and collect them in the fall.
A bunch of goats were left year-round in the area some years ago, and someone complained to authorities about the abandoned animals. When the owner tried unsuccessfully to collect the goats, which had retreated to the cliff face, he took to a boat and began shooting them in order to at least salvage the meat, or mutton.
Five or six of them were killed, but the two males survived and now live wild.
They're probably the most photographed goats around, said Frank Bishop, who takes care of maintenance at the fish plant located at the base of the hill.
Bishop is amazed at how clever they are, pointing out that they move around the cliff, following the sun's heat, or seek shelter on the side away from the wind.
Bishop said they haven't caused any problems, except for the time they traipsed through freshly poured cement several years ago.
"I don't really pay much attention to them, but I know a lot of people do," he said.
Goats will readily revert to the wild if given the opportunity. Feral goats are a severe problem in Australia, for example, where they are threatening vegetation.
But since the goats on Spectacle Head are both males, that's not a concern, said Dr. Andrew Peacock, a large-animal veterinarian with the Department of Natural Resources in Carbonear.
He was not familiar with the Spectacle Head goats, but wasn't surprised to hear the story.
"Goats don't need very much to survive," Peacock explained.
As for their ability to live on the side of a cliff, it's not a coincidence that rough roads or steep paths are often referred to as a "goat path."
Peacock has seen goats walking along the top of a fence.
"It's got to be a tough life," Peacock offered.
troberts@thetelegram.com
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