Geoff Herbert
Syracuse Media Group
MAYNARD, N.Y. — Now that we know animals can get coronavirus, it’s no surprise that they’re trying to practice social distancing, too.
New York State Police helped rescue a goat that got stuck in a Central New York overpass on Wednesday afternoon.
“Troopers and members of the Maynard Fire Dept rescued a ......goat that was found stuck underneath an overpass on Route 49 in Marcy this afternoon. #youhavegoattobekiddingme,” NYS Police’s official Twitter account said.
WETM reports a woman said she was driving when she saw the farm animal standing in the grass by the Route 49 West exit toward the Marcy-SUNY Parkway in Marcy, N.Y. She got out of her car and approached the goat, but it ran away under the bridge, apparently trying to isolate itself and keep a distance of at least six feet.
According to WKTV, the driver flagged down a Maynard Fire Department firefighter who helped stop the goat.
“I got flagged down to chase a goat up the road, crossed the guardrail a couple of times, then he started going down by the bridge,” firefighter Chris Reid told the Utica TV station. “And when he started going down there (by the bridge), I jumped on him and stopped him in his tracks so he wouldn’t go no farther.”
https://twitter.com/nyspolice/status/1248062012644524034
State police were called to the scene to help rescue the animal. Route 49 West was briefly shut down as the Whitesboro Fire Department brought in a ladder truck to try and get it down.
The goat then escaped and ran off, but has since been safely returned to its owner.
There have been no U.S. reports of COVID-19, the disease that causes coronavirus, in goats but veterinary scientists say there have been reports of human-to-animal transmission in some pets, such as cats. A Malayan tiger tested positive for the virus at the Bronx Zoo this past week after a zoo employee got infected.