A popular family attraction has faced backlash after a video of cruelty to goats shows animals being dragged along and picked up by their horns.
Bournemouth Goats, which manages a clifftop herd of 50 animals in the Southborne area of the Dorset city, has come under fire over the shocking clip.
Footage shows a man hauling a pair of lame goats along a pavement, with one appearing to bleat in distress as it is grabbed from where it was lying down.
He pins the animal down with his knees as he adjusts his grip before picking it up by its collar and dragging it, while it makes a strangled, choking sound.
Unable to manage both, the man passes the goat to a colleague and picks up another by its horns, hauling it along the pavement into an enclosure.
A member of the public took the video when Bournemouth Goats took some of their animals to a community event last December.
They passed it to welfare groups Dorset Animal Action and Animal Aid, who reported it to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council to investigate.
The groups have now decided to release the video because they said the local authority failed to act on the alleged animal abuse.
Bournemouth Goats, which manages a clifftop herd of 50 animals in the Southborne area of the Dorset city, has come under fire over the shocking clip (pictured)
Footage (pictured) shows a man hauling a pair of lame goats along a pavement, with one appearing to bleat in distress as it is grabbed from where it was lying down
A member of the public took the video (pictured) when Bournemouth Goats took some of their animals to a community event last December
They are calling for the owner of the business, Marc Jackson, to be stripped of his event permit.
The coalition of organisations has also launched a petition asking for a council ban on live animal displays at events.
Mr Jackson has since pulled out of a similar event this Easter weekend following the backlash.
He keeps a herd on the 100ft cliffs at Southbourne as a sustainable way of managing the vegetation.
But the goats have since become hugely popular with tourists – and now have around 16,000 followers on their own social media pages.
Alex Harman, campaign manager at Animal Aid, said: ‘When presented with video evidence of cruelty to goats, BCP Council pledged to investigate.
‘However with Bournemouth Goats returning to Southbourne Green this month, it’s clear the council has failed to act.
‘With such blatant disregard for the Animal Welfare Act, BCP Council must end live animal displays.’
The group said the footage also contradicted statements Bournemouth Goats had previously made insisting on the animals’ safety.
The organisation has previously claimed they do not force the goats into situations they do not enjoy and do not display animals showing signs of discomfort.
Nicci Harris, co-founder of Dorset Animal Action, added: ‘Despite Bournemouth Goats PR spin on animal welfare, they have been filmed dragging goats who are showing clear signs of fear and distress across the street and over metal railings by their neck and horns.
‘The evidence speaks for itself. They are refusing to walk, they look distressed in the body.
‘Even when it’s put in the pen, it’s just lying down. It’s obviously under a lot of stress. That isn’t proper handling.
‘We are a nation of animal lovers and the Bournemouth Goats are really loved so I think it makes people really sad to see their owners treating them like that.
‘If it wasn’t for the public outcry the goats would be going again and the same situation would happening.’
Isobel McNally, animals in entertainment lead at Animal Aid, said: ‘We see a lot of footage of animals being mistreated and manhandled.
They passed the clip (pictured) to welfare groups Dorset Animal Action and Animal Aid, who reported it to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council to investigate
The owner of Bournemouth Goats, Marc Jackson, keeps the herd (pictured) on the 100ft cliffs at Southbourne as a sustainable way of managing the vegetation
But the goats (pictured) have since become hugely popular with tourists – and now have around 16,000 followers on their own social media pages
‘What was shocking about the footage of Bournemouth Goats is that the manner in which they are being handled is the kind of practice we would expect to see in slaughterhouse footage, not in a public event marketed at families with children.’
Campaigners said the conduct in the video constitutes serious breaches of animal welfare protections.
And members of the public have reacted with similar shock, decrying the ‘vile and disgusting cruelty’, and ‘utterly horrific and shocking footage’.
Andrea Barlow said: ‘It looked like slaughterhouse treatment, absolutely disgusting.’
Marion Biddle added: ‘That poor animal must have choked the way it was being dragged. Absolutely unforgivable and unnecessary.’
Herd owner Mr Jackson said on social media he had decided not to attend the upcoming Easter event on Southbourne Green amid the outcry.
He explained this was due to the ‘reaction from a number of followers and other Facebook pages’.
Mr Jackson said it was also because he cannot use the livestock trailer to safely transport the animals due to the barrier around the park when the event is on.
The business owner also said arrangements at previous iterations of the event allowed him to park next to where the animals are exhibited.
But he said members of the public moved the traffic cones, which saw him forced to park further away, making it harder to transport the animals to the event.
A person involved with caring for the herd said they were not in a position to comment on the video.
But they insisted the goats are ‘looked after appropriately, with their welfare always the priority’.
BCP Council confirmed it was made aware of the video and had concluded its investigation.
The local authority had been looking into whether breaches of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 or the Animal Welfare Regulations 2018 occurred.
A council spokesperson said: ‘The investigation relating to the handling of the Bournemouth goats during an event held on December 13, 2025, has concluded.
‘We take concerns around animal welfare extremely seriously and it is not accurate to say the council “failed to act”.
‘As part of the investigation, the licence holder has been provided with a list of actions; including maintaining current welfare standards, ensuring competent staffing levels, completing risk assessments for any future events, and preparing documentation ahead of the licence renewal.
‘We have been liaising with the owner on learning of his planned appearance at the Southbourne Green event and can confirm that the Bournemouth Goats will not be attending this or other public events.’
The spokesperson said the welfare and general condition of the goats had ‘never been a concern’ before the investigation.
They added the local authority will continue to engage with the herd’s owner about how the animals are being managed.
But after seeing the video online, BCP Council leader Millie Earl, of the Liberal Democrats, said she would look into the matter and raise it with council officers.
Bournemouth Goats has been contacted for comment.
