A north-east animal sanctuary has welcomed the birth of a rare Boer goat after its mother arrived with a herd of sheep last August.
Willows, based near Fraserburgh, cares for abandoned farm animals, including horses, which would otherwise face slaughter.
The charity’s work has attracted praise from local politicians, and celebrities regularly pay flying visits to the sanctuary to lend their name to fundraising efforts.
This week, however, it has been the appearance of a rare baby goat that has captured the imagination of Willows’ myriad social media users.
In a short video welcoming the boer goat – a breed developed in South Africa in the 1900s – the sanctuary revealed “official” advice was to have the animals killed.
A spokeswomen added: “Official advice was to fatten them for slaughter.
“Half the sheep and one of the goats were pregnant – nine lambs and a goatlet were born.”
The two-minute video, produced by Nick Robinson, has been shared almost 100 times since going online on Sunday.
It is the latest boost to the attraction along with the introduction of a new “cat hotel”.
Since recovering from extensive flooding earlier this year, the sanctuary launched the innovative project to give its visitors an exclusive space to stroke and play with Willow’s 55 rescued cats.
Last night, trustee Kate Robinson said the team at Willows were “delighted” to confirm the sanctuary would be re-opened to the public from Saturday.
She added: “Visitors will be able to pet and stroke cats to their hearts’ content.
“We will only be open on Saturdays and Sundays from now on as we will be concentrating on our animal-assisted therapy programme on weekdays. Group and school bookings will also be possible during the week.”
The appeal of the north-east sanctuary last year drew in Deborah Bonham, whose late brother, John, was Led Zeppelin’s drummer.
A respected musician in her own right, she said she was “thrilled” to be able to help Willows by becoming a patron.
