A few weeks ago, while many of us were playing games, two members of the group were visiting the village of Velké Popovice in Czechia.  Part of the reason for their visit was to go on the Kozel Brewery tour.  The first references to the Popovice Brewery come from the mid-sixteenth century, but the first batch of the dark Velkopopovický Kozel beer was brewed on 15^th December 1847.  Internationally, Kozel is probably the best known Czech beer, although the brand has been owned by Asahi since 2016.

– Image by boardGOATS

The interest here, is in the name—Kozel means “goat” in Czech and this is reflected in the brand logo.  The origin apparently comes from the fact that a dark beer used to be called “bock”, which also means “goat” in German.  Hence, the brewery’s strong, dark beer became known locally as kozel.  So, when in 1919, a lost French painter passed through the fillage, he gave the village a painted billy goat as a thank you for giving him food and shelter. Since then, the brewery have had a sucession of goat mascots, most of which have been called Olda, and the current incumbent can be visited by people touring the facility.

– Image by boardGOATS

Everyone loves a goat, even, it would seem, Banksy, the street artist.  Last week, he stenciled a goat perched on a buttress in Kew Green, Richmond, a work he claimed using his Instagram account.  This has since been followed by several more works in and around London.  Banksy has been known to produce a series of pieces over the summer before, in particular his “Great British Spraycation” in 2021 when he decorated Norfolk and Suffolk.  His art usually has a message and is always controversial with some saying it is brilliant while others think it is mindless vandalism.   There has been a lot of discussion about the meaning of the Goat and the significance of the CCTV camera, but Banksy, of course, has kept his opinions on it himself, and will no doubt continue to do so.

– Image from instagram.com, adapted by boardGOATS

Baby goats are adorably cute.  Even watching just a few seconds of kidding around makes people smile and that alleviates stress.  It should be no surprise then that in a trial in Portland Oregon, baby goats have been found to help to relieve stress of staff an patients as reported by the BBC this week.  Hospitals are noisy, chaotic places which doesn’t help patients to recover or staff perform at their best.  They have designed gardens to reduce stress levels and, from time to time, a flock of two-week old baby goats come to visit.  Staff and patients alike report finding it very soothing and relaxing cuddling the little kids, even the video is cheering.  And the kids seem to like the attention too.

– from bbc.co.uk

Goats can provide a great solution for environmental problems—a couple of years ago we reported how flocks of goats visit the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) in California to clear scrub and help prevent fires.  This week, an interview on BBC Radio 5 Live with staff at Kentish Town City Farm, the UK’s oldest city farm, explained how their goats are helping to dispose of unwanted Christmas trees.

– from bbc.co.uk

Over the last couple of years, Llandudno has made the news thanks to visits from a flock of Kashmir goats.  The infamous goats are once more causing problems, but this time it is a result of their newfound fame.  The goats have returned to the Great Orme peninsula, a nature reserve in Conwy, but their notoriety has attracted tourists taking selfies inspiring the Llandudno Coastguard to comment:

We are particularly concerned about reports that people are placing themselves in danger to view the goats up close and to take photos.  The goats are safe, they aren’t trapped and are just exploring a new part of the Great Orme.  We urge you not to place yourselves in danger to view the goats and to stay on Marine Drive where it is safe and a great vantage point to see the goats.

– Image from facebook.com

Last year, a group of Kashmiri goats went on the rampage in Llandudno.  It is actually not uncommon for them to visit the town when food is scarce, but now they are back, and thanks to a lack of contraception caused by the pandemic, there are more of them than ever.  Apparently they’ve been caught queuing at the chippy, waiting for a bus, and going to school—they are a very popular sight kidding around in town.

There have been a couple of recent reports of goats going where they shouldn’t—one group in Llandudno on the rampage and Mable and Trouble in Blaencwm, Rhondda.  This time we have climbing goats in Barichara in Colombia which had to be rescued by fire fighters…