CCTV captures the moment where a goat is stolen from a Maidstone animal sanctuary

The Buttercups Goat Sanctuary say it's like losing a pet, and are gutted that 'Taco' the goat is gone.  Finn Macdiarmid reports.

Transcript

00:00Losing a goat is like someone losing their pet dog, so obviously it's really heartfelt

00:05for us to lose an individual.

00:07Taco the goat was found wandering the streets of Marden and was taken in by Buttercup Goat

00:11Sanctuary, but only a day after he was taken.

00:15The sanctuary that's just outside of Maidstone have plenty of CCTV cameras after past security

00:20concerns which captured the thieves in the act.

00:23So they come down this bit here, this is the bit I was pointing at earlier, but they've

00:27come down from that sort of foot gate, they acknowledge the cameras there, I think that's

00:31what they're doing anyway, all masked up and that sort of thing, and that takes them out

00:36onto the field and then they go round and get him from that way.

00:40Right there, those are the goat's eyes on his back and you can actually see he's wriggling

00:44around quite a bit, he's having to kind of wrestle him into place, to be quite kind of firm with him.

00:49Although thefts have happened at the site before, this is the first time an animal has been taken.

00:54We've had break-ins before, we had our vehicle stolen once upon a time, and I think a trailer

00:58as well, but we've never had an animal stolen before, this is a first for us.

01:03You know, previously when we had the other break-ins we've introduced security and things

01:07like that, but these guys actually knew where the beams were and kind of walked round them.

01:11So clearly it had kind of come, we think they'd come the day before, perhaps to look around,

01:14identified where they needed to go, because as I said they were in and out in four minutes,

01:18so that's very quick.

01:19Now the Sanctuary's aim is to rescue goats, meaning those that come through their doors

01:23are those that need the help the most, and this means that the team often become very

01:27attached to the individual animals.

01:29These goats come into our care and they come here expecting Sanctuary, so it's the last

01:34thing you'd want to happen to them.

01:37So we're just gutted for the individual, for Taco.

01:42I would be surprised if we saw Taco again, but I will never give up hope.

01:47There's always a chance he will be rescued again in a few years and he will come back

01:50then, so I will never give up hope on Taco.

01:53Police community support officers were at the Sanctuary to look at some of the CCTV footage,

01:58and Kent Police told us that an investigation is ongoing and officers have attended the site.

02:03Anyone with any information should call Kent Police.

02:05The Buttercup's team say that while there's not much information, that it's best not to speculate,

02:10they are still hopeful that their latest goat can be returned.

02:13Finn McDermid for KMTV in Boughton, Monchelsea.