Chinese lantern killed my goat, says Warwick breeder...

A goat breeder from Warwick is calling for a ban on Chinese lanterns after one of her animals died when it ate a piece of metal wire.



Fay Ogden discovered nine-month-old Toggenburg goat Holly with blood around her mouth at her farm in Rowington, near Warwick.

Three days later the goat died and in a post mortem vets found a piece of metal wire from a lantern had punctured her throat.

The party lanterns – made of paper wrapped around a thin metal frame with a candle suspended inside – have been labelled “hidden killers” because they land in fields where they are eaten by livestock.

Farmers say the wire can also often enter the food chain when grass is cut up to make hay.

Miss Ogden, 69, has kept Toggenburg goats for 30 years. She said: “It’s had an impact on my livelihood – Holly cost a lot of money and could have been used for breeding.

“But more than that she was a pet, one of only 11 goats I have. She was a fantastic creature, cheeky and lively and good fun to be around.

“Her twin sister Heather stood at the gate for days crying out for her when she didn’t come home.”

She said Holly was “off-colour” when she was found. Three days later the young goat took a turn for the worst and was taken to Avonvale Vets, in Warwick.