'Peeping Goat' Saga Brings Animal Lovers Together In Morris Co.

CHATHAM, NJ — Earlier this month, a furry Chatham resident got his 15 minutes of fame when reports of a wandering "peeping goat" made headlines.

The story had a happy ending with the goat, now called "Goatfrey," being captured by Osuna Framing Construction during their work hours on Noe Avenue, according to the Chatham Township Police Department.

The police had received several calls about the goat peeping into neighborhoods, but they had been unsuccessful until the construction workers were able to wrangle the loose goat and put an end to his unwanted house calls.

While it seemed like several in town were searching for and talking about the goat, one resident, Francine Leff, made the search for Goatfrey more personal.

"The week before Goatfrey was captured, once the news came out about our 'peeping goat," it seemed that every morning during my runs I would see either him at random houses or the police in 'chase' trying to get him. To me, it was definitely a sign that I could not just sit back and do nothing. I have always been an animal lover and owner but this was calling me in a different direction," Leff said.

Goatfrey was captured on Monday, May 15, and has since been living at Creekside Farm after weeks on the run.

According to Leff, who started the Chatham Goat Facebook page, they don't know much about his "backstory" other than that he came from a farm out of state and was sent to the local slaughterhouse, where he escaped.

"How long he was actually on his own running around the town, we are not sure, but it could have been as long as two weeks," Leff said.

The Chatham Goat Facebook page quickly grew to over 100, then 200, then 1000 members, demonstrating to Leff that Chatham was a "very unique town that cared about bringing our goat to safety."

Every morning and several times throughout the day, a group of neighborhood residents known as "Goat Patrol" came together to try to determine the best way to secure Goatfrey.

Since his capture, Leff has set up a GoFundMe page where interested members of the community can check in for updates on Goatfrey's condition and donate to his recovery effort. According to Leff, they are hopeful that he will be released from quarantine soon and integrated into the local farm.

He still has about 50 pounds to gain, and his blood work from the local vet must be satisfactory, Leff said.