No kidding: Goats spotted at South Carolina airport — for the second time in a week
Loose goats roamed the taxiway of a South Carolina airport — “walking right towards the terminal,” the airport manager said.
Jim Taylor told McClatchy News in a phone interview that the sighting marked the second time the animals were spotted on the Georgetown County property in a week.
“Here we go again,” the county wrote April 11 on Twitter. “Last week’s goats must have told their friends. Somebody come pick up your goats at the Georgetown airport, please!”
The Myrtle Beach-area saga began on April 4, when Taylor received a call that goats may have wiggled their way under an airport fence.
“I thought it was an April Fools’ joke,” he said.
But the caller wasn’t — ahem — kidding. Photos show the airport got several furry visitors, including two adults and three youngsters.
“So, ummm… if these are your goats, would you please come pick them up from the Georgetown airport? Please?” the county wrote on Facebook. “They’re super cute and we really appreciate the free lawn mowing. But our staff has to keep chasing them off the runway. They don’t like when there are goats on the runway.”
The goats were corralled into a construction area before they were brought back home. But the airport’s goat-free days were short-lived.
Two more critters were spotted April 11, prompting another series of witty social media posts.
“Oh, COME ON! We did not have runway goats on our Bingo cards for chronic problems in 2023,” the county wrote on Facebook.
Taylor said the airport, which got those goats under control, used a lighthearted tone online to turn the sightings into a “feel-good story.”
He also said the posts helped the goats reunite with their owners. And online updates continued, with the airport sharing a video that shows children running to try to round up one of the loose animals.
Taylor, who said he was left in shock after the second visit, hadn’t had a goat come onto the property in his five years with the Georgetown County Airport. Turkeys, coyotes and alligators are among the airport’s past wild visitors, which can pose risks.
“If an airplane impacts one of those on landing or takeoff or even taxiing, significant damage could happen to the aircraft,” Taylor said.
After the recent four-legged guests were spotted, a maintenance team is working to close a fencing gap that might have allowed the goats to reach the airport, according to Taylor.
The Georgetown County Airport is in Georgetown, roughly 40 miles south of Myrtle Beach. The facility — which serves the “community, businesses, destination travelers and first responders” — has about “80 aircraft operations” each day, officials said.
This story was originally published April 13, 2023 at 9:20 AM with the headline "No kidding: Goats spotted at South Carolina airport — for the second time in a week."
