Herd of goats invaded Barreiro cemetery and ate flowers from the graves

When she arrived at the cemetery where her father is buried, Lúcia Pinto couldn’t believe what she saw. “I went there on Father’s Day, March 19th, as I always have since my father passed away, 10 years ago, and the goats were walking around on top of the graves eating the flowers and herbs and throwing the vases on the ground. In the lowest graves, they even walked up there. We were shocked! They had just entered and I prevented them from reaching my father’s grave”, she says in disbelief.

Lúcia’s husband searched for the owner of the goats for about half an hour, but without success. “Neither the owner of the animals, nor the person responsible for the cemetery, nor the gravedigger, in short, we didn’t know who to turn to. I never see anyone there. It costs money to keep the graves tidy”, he criticizes, calling for “more maintenance” of an “old and abandoned” cemetery. “The goats also went there, attracted by the herbs, which had to be removed. It’s an old cemetery, it should have another type of maintenance.”

The resident of Coina goes to the cemetery every month and has never seen the herd, but there are those who have come across the goats in the area. “It is a lack of responsibility on the part of those who take care of the cemetery and those who should be taking care of the goats, which also roam on the side of the road without supervision. The herd can be seen from the road next to Mata da Machada and I never saw any shepherd, it constitutes a danger for the animals and motorists. People who have family members buried there feel that, in addition to a lack of responsibility, it is a lack of respect”, criticizes Carla Morgado, also a resident.