Goats Faint When Frightened

They Go Stiff And Fall Over

Colleen Seitz, Staff Writer
April 19, 2001, 1:15 p.m. EDT

CHRISTIAN COUNTY, Mo. -- Be careful what you do around some goats or they will faint on you.

Yes, it's true. There's a breed of goat that faints when it gets frightened or scared.

They're called fainting goats and while they are rare, they do exist.

Some of these goats have been found in Christian County, Mo. The ranch claims to have a herd of fainting goats in the woods, a roomful of future fainters and a potential fainter in a pen.

"You turn around and all the sudden the goats fall over. Sounds like a myth. It does until you see it fall over," the goats' owner, Cindi Darling, said.

It's an amazing sight to see. You see, the goats aren't hurt, they just faint. It's a characteristic of their rare breed.

According to the American Tennessee Fainting Goat Association, the goats were orginally used to protect sheep. If the sheep was threatened, the goat would fall over providing the predator with a meal as a distraction.

The Web site also says that the name fainting goat is a bit misleading because they do not actually faint. They have a genetic problem with relaxing muscles. When they are startled or surprised their muscles lock up and the goat then sometimes falls over.

They also are a very calm animal and make excellent pets.

Copyright 2001 by NewsNet5. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.