Somewhere in the Rio Grande Valley, there鈥檚 a goat wandering where he ought not to be.
According to the Willacy County Livestock Show and Fair, a beloved goat, affectionately dubbed 鈥淩odeo Goat,鈥� has been loose for at least a week. The situation has inspired the folks at the stock show and members of the local business community .
Michael Rodriguez, digital content editor for MyRGV.com, said during a recent competition.
鈥淥nce the competition ended and the goats were being rounded up, they noticed, around 1:30 in the morning, that one of them was missing,鈥� Rodriguez said. 鈥淚t was being held in this oversize pen that鈥檚 usually used for cattle, actually. So they鈥檙e not quite sure how it escaped, other than the fact that maybe it just squeezed out somehow and has been on the loose ever since.鈥�
Rodriguez said it鈥檚 a little hard to say why this story has inspired so much local interest, especially considering the fact that the area has seen loose bobcats and roaming alligators.
鈥淲hy this particular instance has captured the attention of people around here is for anyone鈥檚 guess, other than the fact that maybe it鈥檚 just very hot and people want something to have a little fun,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 why the business community got involved, because they noticed people were posting memes and sort of trolling 鈥� but playfully. The livestock show folks and dozens of businesses have donated thousands of dollars in rewards, from brisket to beer, overnight stays at local hotels, and a car wash.鈥�
禄 GET MORE NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE:
According to recent sightings, the goat has put up some decent mileage.
鈥淐ameron County is a coastal community. Its neighboring county, Willacy County, where this occurred, it鈥檚 more of an agricultural community, and it鈥檚 about what you would expect: It鈥檚 a lot of open fields, and where this goat has been particularly seen has been in brush country,鈥� he said. 鈥淢ost recently it was seen near a cemetery. It crossed city lines as it was seen in another city. And it鈥檚 interesting as far as how many people are out there, I mean, not counting our reporters, there鈥檚 a lot of folks out there [looking for it].鈥�
Rodriguez said he was interested in this story because he feels it represents a respite from the deluge of more serious news stories in the area recently.
鈥淭his was Friday when I heard about it. And I was just wrapping up the day when a member of our staff walked into my office just wanting to share a funny story. And I think they noticed I was not in a good mood and thought it鈥檇 make me laugh. And it did. The same reason why it resonated with me, I thought would resonate with other people,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had record heat. There鈥檚 stories obviously occurring throughout the state that deeply affect us as a border community as well. And I think there鈥檚 just general news fatigue, and it seemed like something that would give people a bit of a distraction, which I think they desperately need right now.鈥�
If you found the reporting above valuable, please consider making a donation to support it . Your gift helps pay for everything you find on and . Thanks for donating today.
Copyright 2023 KUT 90.5. To see more, visit . 9(MDAxODQzOTgwMDEyMTcyNjI4MTAxYWQyMw004))