Popular goat grazing project canceled

IOLA – A popular restoration project in the Village of Iola has been abruptly shut down after a man was caught on camera attempting to breach an electric fence surrounding a grazing herd of goats.

Stacy Zivicki, owner of Auburndale-based Sustainable Stewards Farmstead & Goat Grazing, announced on social media that she has removed her herd of nearly 50 goats from the Iola Lions River Walk due to safety concerns. The decision follows an incident Aug. 21 where an intruder repeatedly tried to enter the goats’ enclosure.

At about 7 p.m. Friday, Zivicki said she was checking her solar-powered security cameras when she and her daughter observed a man acting suspiciously along the fence line. The fence is marked with warning signs cautioning onlookers not to trespass, touch, or feed the animals.

Zivicki said the man pushed down on the fence and attempted to climb over, receiving a shock from the electrified barrier. She said the man reached over the fence a second time, was zapped again, and screamed.

Zivicki said she immediately called the police and yelled at the intruder through her camera’s built-in speaker. The man temporarily walked away, but returned with binoculars before ultimately fleeing on a bicycle, she said.

While Zivicki’s husband and daughter hooked up a livestock trailer to pick up the herd, Zivicki said she contacted Iola Village President Jennifer Schustek, who met police officers at the site. The suspect was located and formally issued a trespass warning

Following the incident, Zivicki said she decided to permanently pull her goats from the project.

“So it is with a heavy heart (that) I have to stop the project for the safety and well being of my goats,” she said. “Thank you Iola for all your support.”

The herd of about 50 goats had returned to Iola for the second year to clear invasive buckthorn along the River Walk. Because the grazing area is located near a creek, village officials had selected goat grazing as a safe, chemical-free alternative recommended by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The $10,000 project was funded entirely through private donations rather than taxpayer dollars.

Prior to the incident, the goats had also provided an unexpected economic boost to local businesses as families traveled to the village to watch them work.