With all this talk of global warming and saving the planet, renewable energy sources seem like they can do no wrong. But, I ask you, what about the goats?
A Taiwanese farmer has reportedly lost more than 400 goats after eight wind turbines were installed near his grazing land. From an initial herd of over 700 animals, the farmer – Kuo Jing-shan – now only has around 250 goats left. This isn’t the first time Skywrite has heard strange things about windfarms, either.
The current expert theory is that the goats may have died through sleep deprivation and hypertension caused by noise from the nearby turbines. The company behind the turbines, Taipower, has said that they will pay for part of the cost of building a new farmhouse elsewhere, but they will not provide compensation for the loss of the herd.
Kuo Jing-shan commented: “The goats looked skinny and they weren’t eating. One night I went out to the farmhouse and the goats were all standing up; they weren’t sleeping. I didn’t know why. If I had known, I would’ve done something to stop the dying”.
So before you profess the benefits of renewable energy too loudly, consider that we may be creating a brave new world where no domesticated herbivore is safe.
Tags: goats, renewable energy, taipower, taiwan, wind farm
June 29, 2009 at 8:14 pm |
This is actually good. Factory farming is a great cause of global warming.
love the picture. :p I won’t have nightmares…