Flying goats on live aid mission

MORE than 400 goats were yesterday flown from Shannon to Tanzania, where each of the animals will be given to a family as part of the Bóthar helping programme.

The goats were transported in an African International DC8 aircraft

Bóthar, the Limerick based international aid agency, specialises in using livestock as development aid. The goats will be able to give each family enough milk to meet their daily needs.

Established 16 years ago, the agency now has projects in 36 developing countries working with 15 different species of animal.

Bóthar flew its first livestock mission out of Shannon in 1991.

Yesterday’s flight is the first airlift of goats in 2007.

Peter Ireton of Bóthar said: “The system that Bóthar uses is straight-forward, simple and practical. A poor family is trained how to look after a dairy cow or a dairy goat or a breeding sow or a flock of laying hens or any of the other animal species.

“Once the family is trained and once they have their fodder prepared and their housing facilities built, they will receive an animal that is appropriate to their climate, culture and circumstances.”

Bóthar provides a full veterinary and an advisory service.