A FRIENDLY goat was callously slaughtered at close range in front of his six pen-mates in Mount Isa yesterday morning.
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The senseless killing of the billy at the Mount Isa horse paddocks has outraged owner Pat McHugh and has other animal owners concerned about more attacks.
Mr McHugh, 67, was one of the first residents to own paddocks near the city cemetery in Mount Isa and has had animals in his care for more than 30 years.
“I just couldn’t believe that someone would kill him,” he said.
“It’s just disgusting.”
Mr McHugh’s wife, Gordy, said the heartless killing was senseless.
“They have killed an innocent animal, what will they progress to and kill next?” she said.
“What if this isn’t good enough, they might start on people next.”
Mr McHugh said he locked up the small pen at about 6pm on Saturday night and believes the killer may have struck at dawn.
There were four kid goats and two nanny goats in the pen when the male goat was shot. The remaining six were too traumatised to return to the pen.
The goat was shot with a unique broad-head arrow and Mr McHugh hopes its distinctiveness will help track down the killer.
It was shot with such force that the arrow entered through the goat’s shoulder and exited through his stomach. The arrow was found near the fence of the pen and handed in to police.
Mr McHugh estimated the arrow would have been shot from the fence boundary, less than 10metres away.
The two-year-old purebred Boer goat was friendly with other animals and popular with children who wanted to get a taste of ‘‘farm life’’ in Mount Isa.
Mr McHugh slammed hunters who frequented the area around the horse paddocks.
“Proper hunters go out bush,” he said.
“This isn’t hunting, this is killing a goat in a yard.”
Mr McHugh said he had spoken to the Mount Isa Bowhunters Club, who said their shooters didn’t use those types of arrows.
Mr McHugh said there had been many dead kangaroos found around the horse paddocks recently and they may have been shot with arrows.
Mount Isa Police sergeant Brendan Poustie called on residents to be vigilant and confirmed police would investigate the killing.
“We ask people who observe suspicious behaviour like illegal hunting or discharging firearms in the Sunset area to notify police,” he said.
Sergeant Poustie said police were in possession of the arrow and would examine the weapon to assist their investigations.