Premature kid 'beats odds' and will join cliff herd

A baby goat has "beaten the odds" after it was born three weeks premature and will join a herd living on a cliffside at a seaside resort.

It was delivered at a farm in Bournemouth on 31 May, weighing 2.1kg (4.6lb), but the kid's mother Hettie rejected him.

The two animals are part of a group that graze steep cliffs in the town as an alternative to the local council managing the cliffside vegetation.

Herder Tanya Bishop, who said this was the smallest kid she had seen since she began breeding goats in 2009, is now hand rearing the animal.

Posting on the Bournemouth Goats Facebook page a few days after the birth, Ms Bishop said: "His little eyes are still closed and may not open for another few weeks, but he's warm, safe and getting stronger with every hour.

"We know he's not out of the woods just yet but for now we're celebrating this small win for our little fighter."

She continued: "Our vet gave him a clean bill of health... no nasty bugs, no infections."

Speaking to the BBC, she said the baby goat had "beaten the odds because we have the facilities to look after him".

"The moment he hit the floor we had the means to intervene because mum walked away and wasn't interested in the slightest," she said.

She said it was common for a goat to reject its kid if it was premature.

A breeding project is under way to expand the herd to graze the area between West Cliff to Southbourne.

Funding has come from a government agreement with Natural England.

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