Ogden, Utah — For those who think they’ve heard it all, this one’s for you: “goat man” was spotted in the Utah mountains recently by a photographer/hiker, prompting fears from Utah wildlife officials that he may be in danger as hunting season approaches.
The Associated Press reports that, while the man, who was spotted dressed in a crudely made goat suit following a herd of real wild goats, is not doing anything illegal, Phil Douglass of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources stated on Friday that the man may not know how dangerous his actions could be. Douglass stated:
“My very first concern is the person doesn’t understand the risks. Who’s to say what could happen.”
According to Yahoo News , Coty Creighton, 33, was the photographer who spotted “goat man” while out on a hike last Sunday. He came across the herd of wild goats, and noticed one that was trailing farther back. He stated, “I thought maybe it was injured. It just looked odd.”
When he pulled out his binoculars though, he got a huge shock, because instead of seeing a lame goat, he witnessed a man acting like a goat while wearing a crude costume, complete with fake horns and a cloth mask with cut-out eye holes. Creighton recalled:
“I thought, ‘What is this guy doing?’ He was actually on his hands and knees. He was climbing over rocks and bushes and pretty rough terrain on a steep hillside.”
When the man spotted the photographer, Creighton stated, “He just stopped in his tracks and froze.” The hiker moved down the mountain and hid behind a tree, where he began snapping pictures of the odd sight. “Goat man” then put his mask back on, got back on all fours, and hurried to catch up with the herd. Creighton stated of the incident that:
“We were the only ones around for miles. It was real creepy.”
The AP notes that Douglass stated of the report:
“People do some pretty out there things in the name of enjoying wildlife. But I’ve never had a report like this. There’s a saying we have among biologists — You don’t go far enough, you don’t get the data. You go too far, you don’t go home. The same is true with some wildlife enthusiasts.”
According to The Albany Times Union , wildlife officials received an anonymous call from an “agitated man” on Thursday, after the “goat man” sighting was reported in local media. The caller simply stated, before hanging up, “Leave goat man alone. He’s done nothing wrong.’”
