Goats are practically rock stars in Greece, and when a herd decides to take a stroll along a beach, it becomes a magnet for tourists and locals alike.
A few years ago, a bearded beachgoer made a sudden appearance on a popular beach on the island of Symi and became an instant Facebook sensation. The goat was separated from the main group and trotted among the beachgoers who erupted in a mixture of gasps and laughter.
The young goat with its large brown eyes blinking innocently and seemingly unfazed wandered around the crowd and surveyed the scene with imperious curiosity.
He then sat on a sun lounger and enjoyed the rest of the day. The scene was captured by Imad Nehmeh, who was on vacation on the Greek island and posted on a Facebook group called Greek Islands: “Only in Greece!!!”
Of course, this was not the first time that goats have added a new dimension to beach life in Greece. It is a reminder that even on the most tourist-trodden islands, a touch of the unexpected could be found around every corner—with a sprinkle of goat hair for good measure.
There are dozens of videos uploaded on social media from all over Greece of goats invading beaches. Here is a sample.
Greece is the land of goats on beaches, too!
Greece is known for its adorable goats, particularly on islands. According to a recent study conducted by the European Union’s statistics authority, Eurostat, Greece is the clear EU champion in regard to its number of resident goats.
More specifically, according to the European Union’s Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries report for 2020, Greece is at the EU forefront for the largest number of goats on its territory, possessing approximately 3,625,000 goats.
Recently, a British tourist won a prize from the Daily Telegraph newspaper for her intriguing vacation story on a group of bearded beachgoers in Greece. Debby Waldron won £200 for the tale of her unexpected encounter, depicted below.
We hear the goats before we see them. Our backs are to the shore, swimming across clear Greek water towards the brown lump of Albania. We’ve been in the sea for just minutes when the bells reach us through the calm morning air—distant at first but getting closer.
Turning, we spy a pair of horns just above the horizon; then another, and another, until the low cliffs at the end of the beach are a mass of jostling creatures.
Now, that beautiful beach is filling up fast—with goats. We begin to swim back towards the shore, all the time observing their steady progress towards our belongings. As we plow through the water—desperately slowly, it seems—I count.
There are upwards of 40 animals on the beach now, from huge grand-daddy goats with impressive beards to tiny kids on wobbly pipe-cleaner legs, in shades of brown and black and something in between.
They reach our clothes before we do—and file on past, without even a curious sniff. Clearly, there are places they need to be, and things they need to do. By the time we reach the shallows, only the bleating stragglers remain, and they are more intent on catching up with the flock than investigating what they probably think the tide brought in.
As we stand to paddle the last few feet to the sand, a rush of water comes up behind us and knocks us from our feet. It races on ahead, swamping our belongings. We’re only just able to stagger upright and grab them before they disappear out to sea.
“Ah,” Dennis smiles, as we drip our way into the village shop half an hour later, “Twenty minutes after a cruise ship passes—then comes big waves. But—a beautiful beach, yes?”
Yes, we agree. It is.
Related: Italian Island’s Goat Bounty: Islanders Offer Free Goats to Anyone Who Can Catch Them
