Local school name Edinburgh Zoo’s new goats

and finally after today's doom and gloom have some goats!

Local school name Edinburgh Zoo’s new goats - Royal Zoological Society of Scotland

three black and white gotas, one looking at the camera — Bagot goats: Judith, Janice and Patrick (credit: RZSS)

Two female Bagot goats, who arrived at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s (RZSS) Edinburgh Zoo in November, have been named Judith and Janice after a local school competition.

Keepers at the wildlife conservation charity selected the winning names, suggested by Dalkeith High School, as the perfect match to accompany their male, Patrick.

Jonathan Appleyard, hoofstock team leader at Edinburgh Zoo, said, “It has been fantastic to get the community involved and highlight the importance of young people and their contribution to our wild world. There were so many creative names suggested for our lovely female goats, but Janice and Judith fit so well with Patrick, our male’s name.”

Thought to be one of the oldest goat species in Britain, Bagot goats are important in conservation grazing, often used to clear invasive scrub and woodland species to promote biodiversity.