Saved from being the mutton of meth-users on Christmas Eve
morning, the malnourished goat that was found hog-tied in the trunk
of a Nissan Sentra will make the 200-mile drive north Thursday to
his new home at the California Shelter of Farm Sanctuary in the
small town of Orland.
San Martin – Saved from being the mutton of meth-users on Christmas Eve morning, the malnourished goat that was found hog-tied in the trunk of a Nissan Sentra will make the 200-mile drive north Thursday to his new home at the California Shelter of Farm Sanctuary in the small town of Orland.
The young male goat, named Noel by the rescuers at the Santa Clara County Animal Shelter because he was saved on Christmas Eve, will find freedom to roam with other billies and rescued farm animals at the “nation’s leading farm animal protection organization,” according to its director Leanne Cronquist.
“It is hard to fathom the utter callousness and lack of respect for life that would allow someone to tie up a living being and stuff him into a cramped, dark, airless trunk,” Cronquist said. “Goats, like all farm animals, are friendly, sensitive animals who want nothing more than to run and play in the sun. This experience must have been a nightmare for this innocent animal, but fortunately, when he arrives at our shelter, he will be treated with the respect and kindness he deserves and his horrible ordeal will be behind him.”
A Morgan Hill police officer found the Boer-mix goat in the trunk of a Nissan Sentra about 9 a.m. Dec. 24 following a traffic stop on Monterey Road and Dunne Avenue. After finding methamphetamine and open beer bottles in the vehicle that was occupied by three males, the officer heard a whimpering from the trunk. Noel was found hog-tied in the trunk and looked as if it was without food and water for at least a day, according to the MHPD. Animal control officers took the goat to the animal shelter.
MHPD Sgt. Jerry Neumayer said they believed the men were planning to eat the Noel.
The driver, Morgan Hill resident Ciro Paredes, 40, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, driving without a license, driving with an open container, possession of meth and suspicion of animal cruelty.
The passengers – Julio Perez, 27 of San Jose; and Ricardo Malger, 19 of Morgan Hill – were booked into Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of animal cruelty. Perez was also charged with possession of methamphetamine.
