The trying times brought on by COVID-19 has some people searching for ways to lift their spirits, and BX resident Gabriel Newman has found one way to help out.
Baby goats.
Newman said the reality of his situation is his friends on Facebook prefer when he shares photographs of his animals rather than say or do anything else. So, he stepped it up a notch and started a on March 24.
Starring a kooky cast of baby goats and a âstoic sufferingâ alpaca named Jack, Newman has managed to spread some joy during these uncertain times.
âThere is such a desperate need for some reminders of purities in this world and that life will go on and itâs still gorgeous and beautiful and fun,â Newman said.
Newman said self-isolating has allowed him some extra time to catch some of his animalâs antics on video.
Plus, he said, the day he started to self-isolate lined up with the birth of the kids.
âI do have to say though,â he said. âVideoing goats is a lot harder than you think.â
For every 20-seconds of film posted to YouTube, Newman said heâs typically shot around 15 minutes.
âThe response has been great,â he said. âI created it for my friends and I have a small, very loyal fan base that seemed to need their daily goat video.â
âYou just canât be angry at baby goats,â Newman said, getting ahead of the trolls. âUnless you own them. If you own them, theyâre into things they shouldnât be.â
The videos and his cast of baby goats are nothing but joy, he said.
âWe live in a ridiculous world and itâs important to remember the beauty and take a breath once and a while,â Newman said.
Heâs even posted mindfulness exercises with Jack to remind his viewers and himself to relax here and there.
He said his baby goats have only a few months left before theyâll start to âmellow out.â Then, they will become teenagers.
âAnd as teenagers, theyâd be too cool for YouTube.â
Newman said he hopes to continue posting to his YouTube channel, but he said it may be an annual thing as goats grow quickly.
âItâs the babies everyone wants to see,â he said. âGoats are charming, but itâs also like humans, babies are interesting and charming and other peopleâs kids, from a distance, are funny and charming.â
âThen they become adults â you donât want to spend that much time with them.â
His alpaca, a rescue, will likely maintain his starring role.
âOur alpaca was a partner to a horse and the owners sold the horse,â Newman said recalling his alpacaâs origin story. âAlpacas attach themselves to whatever family they can have.â
Newman said he had sheep and worried about coyotes, he needed a guardian, so when a âfree alpacaâ ad appeared, he jumped at it.
âThereâs no such thing as a free alpaca,â he laughed.
Jack, rocking a big underbite, would consistently escape Newmanâs yard and wind up in the neighbourâs yard hanging out with the horses. But he soon became a âmother henâ for Newmanâs sheep and goats.
âHe has his issues,â Newman said. âBut heâs incredibly charming to stare at.â
âAlpacas have been on the planet for 40 million years,â Newman said, at least the Camelidae family alpacas originated from.
âTheir body design is⊠It just has to have been an early invention â they havenât been upgraded into anything noble, faster or really good at anything,â he laughed.
READ MORE:
READ MORE:
Caitlin.clow@vernonmorningstar.com
Like us on and follow us on .
