Goats on the run: landscaping goats escape

by JENNA ROBERTSON

Staff Writer

Last semester, the UMW Landscape and Grounds team and The Good Steward Farm entered into a partnership to support a natural landscaping initiative on campus: goats that help manage vegetation and clear land designated for future campus development through eating the greenery. These fluffy workers arrived on campus last semester, and in the early afternoon of Dec.16, 2025, all escaped from their enclosure. 

The UMW Landscape and Grounds team was quickly contacted after community members alerted UMW police, who then notified the goats’ owners. Personnel from both groups responded quickly, equipped with dog leashes, and safely returned the goats to their enclosure.

Every morning, staff from The Good Steward Farm care for the goats by checking their water, food and fence line.

 “From our perspective, it seemed like everything was great,” said Carly Brown, a representative from The Good Steward Farm. 

Due to the high winds, a single branch fell, creating a breach in the electric fence that allowed the goats to escape.

“Apparently, a limb fell and created a breach…and those sneaky devils (goats and devils are interchangeable!) took advantage of the field trip opportunity,” said Director of Landscape and Grounds Holly Chichester-Morby in an email.

While it is unknown which goat exited the pen first, Chichester-Morby suspects Edna led the escape. As goats live in a matriarchal herd structure, Edna’s leadership likely prompted the rest of the herd to follow her onto Monument Avenue and subsequently alarm neighbors.

UMW Chief of Police and Associate Vice President of Public Safety Michael Hall was notified and promptly contacted Chichester-Morby, who then reached out to Brown to inform her of the goats’ unexpected excursion. During this time, UMW Police Department officers were dispatched to the scene to contain the situation and minimize damage to nearby rose bushes.

Since the herd was loose, ensuring the goats’ safety became a top priority. 

“It doesn’t matter if I’ve sat down for dinner and I’m having a glass of wine, or if we’ve made some sort of plans. It never matters,” said Brown. “You have to drop everything when the goats get out because we don’t want anything bad to happen to them, and we also don’t want them to be a nuisance.”

The successful return of the goats was made possible through community cooperation. Neighbors provided extra dog leashes, Chichester-Morby quickly grabbed Edna and led her back and Officer Alexis Santiago from the UMW Police Department assisted by leashing Jeff the goat—an experience he reportedly enjoyed.

Once the goats were safely returned to their temporary home, Brown conducted another inspection of the fence line and discovered the branch that ultimately caused the escape.

“Fences are kind of like a suggestion to goats, but as long as we keep them happy with food, water and tension, those goats are not going anywhere,” she said.

Brown also emphasized the goats’ friendly nature.

“I believe that Jeff would walk up and down and eventually find himself in one of those halls and find a class to hang out with, because he just seeks people out,” she said.

Chichester-Morby said that Landscaping is not worried about a potential future goat escape.

“The goats are great ambassadors, and aside from a love of rose foliage, they are harmless to the neighborhood,” she said. “The response to the goats being here has been nothing but welcoming.”

In the event of another escape, Brown shared several key points for students and community members to keep in mind. The goats are unlikely to travel far from their home base, where food, water, shelter and a mineral block are readily available.

“If somebody can hang out with them, that’s always awesome and very appreciated, but not required,” she said.

Brown also emphasized the importance of contacting the farm directly, adding, “We understand that we’re on call 24/7—it’s the nature of this sort of business. So please give us a call.”

While the escape was not ideal, those involved described it as a fun and educational experience. 

“It’s pretty cool to watch the whole thing,” said Hall, referring to the coordination required to manage the goats.

He also expressed surprise at their awareness, saying, “They knew that the fence was not electric anymore […] unless they saw it and realized something wasn’t working.”