The owner of a Langley hobby farm says he notified the Vancouver park board he might have to get rid of a herd of goats he'd adopted from the Stanley Park petting zoo more than a year ago.
"I'm going through a divorce and my wife wants to sell the farm," Trevor French told the Courier. "I've been finding homes for all of our animals."
French is accused of inadvertently sending most of the 17 goats he adopted to slaughter by giving them away to new owners who sold them at auction. The park board believes French's actions breached his contract with the board regarding the care of the animals.
During a Courier visit to his rural, five-acre farm Wednesday morning, a shaken-looking French said he went through an extensive application process before receiving approval to take the goats and four sheep from the petting zoo, which closed in January 2011. He described the chaos involved in loading the 21 animals on to his truck and trailer the day he arrived to pick them up. Once the animals were loaded, a park board employee handed him an envelope, which French assumed was a copy of his approved application.
"I didn't even look at it," he said. "I came home and threw it in a drawer. It wasn't until all this happened that I finally read it."
"All this" is the media storm and possible legal action French faces from the city. Park board chair Constance Barnes told the Courier French's contract included strict restrictions surrounding the treatment and disposal of the goats and sheep, including a restriction forbidding selling the animals for meat.
French he was in regular contact with a park board employee in the months following his adoption of the animals. Park board employees visited the farm for a follow-up. "I even sent [the employee] pictures," said French. "But now I hear she lost her job right around that time, so I don't know if she received the email telling her I might have to find homes for the goats. But I have a copy of it."
French said he was anxious to get rid of the horned goats due to their aggressive behaviour. He said he put up a sign on the bulletin board of the nearby feed store and placed an ad in an online farming newsletter asking for "good homes for free goats." He said his wife had just moved out, so the fact he didn't hear back from the park board was lost on him.
"It wasn't a priority," he said.
The Courier was unsuccessful in reaching French's wife before press deadline.
French said he was devastated last week when park board general manager Malcolm Bromley picked up the last of the Stanley Park goats on his property. He said he surrendered the goat without argument to show he's not the uncaring monster he believes the media portrayed him to be. He noted he's received unpleasant, anonymous emails since the story broke. "I was really sad when Malcolm took Honey [Tryka]," said French. "We changed her name to Honey after we got her because she's such a sweetheart. But he didn't march in here and 'seize' her, like the media reported."
During a tour of French's farm Wednesday, the Courier was introduced to his remaining animals, which appeared healthy and friendly. They included a chocolate brown llama, Sarah the dog, and two goats and their kids. "I've already arranged homes for them for when the farm sells, even the dog," said French. "But they've all agreed to let me keep them until the very last minute because they know how hard this is for me."
The park board did not return emails before the Courier's press deadline.
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