CHIBA -- A young goat that escaped from its pen and was found on an escarpment along the Keisei Line in Sakura, Chiba Prefecture, was rescued and lives at a nature park.
Nicknamed "Ponyo," the goat is about 6 months old and runs energetically, stopping to eat every now and again, at its new home in Sakura Kusabue no Oka in the city.
A man living near the train line had kept the kid in a pen. However, the animal escaped on May 21 and was later seen on a concrete slope about 20 meters high.
The young goat was given the Ponyo moniker because it was found on a steep slope that reminded onlookers of the Hayao Miyazaki animated movie "Ponyo on the Cliff." The kid drew so much attention that city shops began selling goods, such as mugs and T-shirts, bearing the animal's image.
People worried about the goat asked the city government to help the animal as soon as possible.
The kid was rescued on Aug. 11. At the request of the owner, the staff at Mutsuzawa Yagi Farm in the town of Mutsuzawa went to retrieve the animal. Knowing that goats live in herds, they devised a strategy using a male goat and a female kid to lure the escaped goat off the precipice. At about 7 a.m., in response to cries from the female kid, the young goat dashed up the slope to a spot where the farm staff caught it.
The goat was slightly dehydrated, but a city official said, "I'm glad we were able to safely recover it. I was worried about its health because it's been so hot lately, but the kid looked well."
The animal's owner offered to give it to the city, which accepted the goat and put it in Sakura Kusabue no Oka, a nature park where eight goats live.
Initially, the kid appeared to be wary of spectators, but gradually calmed down and started eating food from visitors' hands on Aug. 29, the first day the animal could be seen by the public. A 6-year-old boy from the city said, "Its hair is fluffy and cute."
The city government is livestreaming video of the animal for all to enjoy.
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