Tread lightly around the goats of Passage East

A report by Kieran Foley in this newspaper last week revealed that some residents in Passage East are being tormented non-stop by marauding goats.
People are entitled to live in peace and not have their property damaged by animals but many residents of the village are very protective of the goats and it would be wise and prudent for all views to be taken on board.
Whatever the situation and speaking with some knowledge of past history, I would respectfully urge that everybody treads lightly when it comes to the matter of goats in Passage East.
It all stems from a unique herd of wild goats that has lived on a hill overlooking the village for over 200 years.
According to the complainants, goats from another unique herd at Bilberry in Waterford city, also believed to be hundreds of years old, were introduced about five years ago and the number of the herd has since multiplied significantly.
Residents from the Knockroe/Parkswood area say their gardens, vegetables and fences have all been trampled by the goats that are running wild and using private property as their stomping ground. They want the Department of Agriculture to carry out an immediate cull of the animals.