243 Goat Pileup

In what must have been an ugly scene, 243 goats went to the great barnyard in the sky following a truck accident in San Rafael, CA:

More than 240 goats were killed Friday morning when a big-rig carrying them tipped over in San Rafael's Canal area.

Many of the animals, en route to clear vegetation in Mill Valley, suffocated when the rig overturned near Irene Street on "The Loop" traffic route, police said.

The truck, owned by Orinda-based Goats R Us, was transporting about 400 animals from Milpitas to the Golden Gate Theological Seminary when the driver pulled off the freeway for a cup of coffee, police said.

Onlookers watched in horror as officials pulled twisted carcasses from the tipped metal trailer sprawled on Kerner Boulevard near Irene Street. Dead goats were spread across the road about 10 deep beside the tipped vehicle as emergency service officials spent more than an hour digging through the piles of animals, many pinned under loose metal shelves.

About two dozen goats were found grazing in the neighborhood and rounded up, but others dispersed throughout the area; Marin Humane Society officials were still rounding up stray goats late Friday afternoon. The goats had burst from the truck after the accident and before a rear door was secured.

Unfortunately, securing the door is what probably led to the deaths of so many animals. Had they been allowed to escape, it would have made an interesting afternoon as they tried to round them up, but not near as many would have died in the truck.