oddly enough

oddly enough

Goat ‘Maria’ killed in drive-by shooting

SANTA FE, N.M.

Police in Santa Fe are searching for the suspect or suspects in a drive-by shooting that killed a pet goat.

The shooting happened Sunday evening and killed Maria, a Nigerian dwarf goat who lived with two other goats and other animals at the home in a central-Santa Fe community. Someone in a blue-green minivan drove up to the fenced yard where the goats are kept and fired three shots from a small-caliber pistol, hitting the animal once in the abdomen and once through a nasal passage.

Maria’s owners, one of whom is an emergency medical technician, tried for more than an hour to care for the dying goat.

“The fact that this was a goat getting killed is bad enough,” Santa Fe Police Chief Aric Wheeler said. “But this is also a drive-by shooting of a home in the middle of the city. That’s a major concern for us.”

Wheeler told the Santa Fe New Mexican that the suspect could face felony charges of animal cruelty, shooting at an occupied building and negligent firearm use.

The goat was one of three owned by two women who live in the home. They also have 12 chickens, four cats, a dog and a duck, most of them rescue animals. The owners, who didn’t want to be identified, and neighbors said the goats were a local fixture that drew adults and children alike to the yard.

Mini-moo: 33-inch cow is world’s smallest

LONDON

A minuscule cow with a taste for contemporary music has been named the world’s smallest by the Guinness World Records book.

Guinness says the sheep-sized bovine from the West Yorkshire region of northern England measures roughly 33 inches from hind to foot.

The 11-year-old cow is named Swallow, and her owner, Caroline Ryder, said she would spend Thursday either grazing with her herd or listening to BBC radio in her cowshed.

Swallow is a Dexter cow, a breed known for its diminutive stature, but is small even by Dexter standards.

She already has nine regular-sized calves and is pregnant with her 10th. Guinness said her youngest calf already has grown larger than she is.

Guinness World Records 2011 was published Thursday in the U.K.

10 garden gnomes found on Montana trail

HELENA, Mont.

Helena police are looking for the homes of 10 wayward gnomes found on a Mount Helena trail.

Police Chief Troy McGee says the gnomes were found Monday evening on a popular hiking trail on the city’s south side.

McGee tells the Independent Record that police contacted residents who recently have reported their garden decorations stolen and have not been able to find any matches.

Associated Press