Goat Cries "Heeeeeelp!"
Louise Hoffman Broach | Wayuga Editor
Tuesday, July 21 2009
 Mike Miner is shown with the goat he says he’s going to name Nuisance after she sent Wolcott state police and members of the Wolcott Fire Department on a wild “goat” chase July 20 in the Wadsworth/Wheeler Road area. The goat has an unusual bleat; an area resident swore it sounded like someone calling for help and alerted authorities, triggering an extensive search. About an hour later, troopers discovered the sound was made by Miner’s goat.
The goat was good enough to fool the state police and the Wolcott Fire Department Sunday night, when they received a report of someone yelling for help at about 9 p.m. The call came from the Hapeman/Red Creek Road area. Three troopers responded.
"The troopers started calling out and they heard what they thought was someone yelling back 'help,'" said Wolcott Fire Chief Ray Wellington.
The troopers then notified the fire department, and Wellington showed up with a thermal imaging camera and a contingent of 20 searchers at about 9:30 p.m. The group fanned out, reaching Wadsworth and Wheeler roads, but could not find anyone.
Miner, who lives on Wadsworth, said the troopers came down his driveway, looking for clues. He told them there were people who had been out in the area haying earlier in the day and suggested that one of them may have been injured, but those people were located at home, Wellington said.
Later on, Miner realized that one of his 13 goats was bleating, and that the bleat did sound a lot like someone calling for help.
The troopers returned and Miner, accompanied by the goat, asked them if they thought it could be her.
"At first they said no, it couldn't be, but then they had me put her across the field and she started crying," he said. "Then they all just burst out laughing."
"We did think it was pretty funny," Wellington said.
Miner said the goat is about a year old and he doesn't have a name for her.
"Maybe I should call her nuisance," he said.
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