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Chaos As CHP Chases Down Herd Of Wayward Goats On Highway 24

ORINDA (CBS SF) -- Why did the herd of goats cross the road? To get to the other side of the Caldecott Tunnel, perhaps.

Another day, another wayward herd of goats. This time it was on Highway 24 in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, and from the looks of the CHP report, things got a little crazy.

It started just before 1 a.m. when a gold Honda Civic traveling near the Caldecott Tunnel encountered several goats in its path. The report indicates damage to the hood and front end of the car, and a dozen goats blocking traffic for several minutes before the CHP arrived.

At 1:19, officers had closed off the fourth bore as the dispatcher instructed the unit to "let em thru #3 bore."

What transpired for the next half your is less clear. The dispatch has terms like "running break," and "break from Orinda."

By 1:50 AM things appear under control. "Have units open all lanes/goats are on the side of the road."

"We're still trying to figure out how the goats made it out of their enclosure," CHP Officer Sean Wilkenfeld told Berkeleyside. Reportedly, one goat was hurt during the ordeal, but not by a car or an officer.

Grazing goats are a common sight along Bay Area highways, because they are perfect for hillside brush abatement. As with all living things, sometimes things go wrong.

Here's a copy of the CHP report:

Detail Information
1:52 AM 23 [54] C96-177 ADV CALTRANS OPENING THE RDWY NOW
1:50 AM 22 [53] 96-S8 HAVE UNITS OPEN ALL LANES / GOATS ARE ON THE SIDE ROAD
1:49 AM 21 [52] 1039 DOTCC
1:48 AM 20 [51] 1039 CALDECOT FOR LINE 49
1:47 AM 19 [50] 96-CZP4 RUNNING BREAK
1:28 AM 18 [44] C96-177 CPYS BREAK
1:28 AM 17 [43] B96-081 BREAK FRM ORINDA
1:19 AM 16 [36] 96-S8 HAVE UNIT LET EM THRU #3 BORE / KEEP #4 CLOSED // 177 WILL COORDINATE W/B81
1:11 AM 15 [28] C96-055 3-4 LN // 2 GOATS
1:10 AM 14 [27] 96-55 REQ ETA ON WB CLOSURE
1:07 AM 13 [25] 177 20-30 RHS ON EB SIDE
1:07 AM 12 [24] 96-8 IN TUNNEL / HAVE CALTRANS CLOSE RT TUNNEL
1:07 AM 11 [23] [Notification] [CHP]-NOW ON THE TUNNEL OFF RAMP
1:04 AM 10 [17] [Notification] [CHP]-PER CCTV. GOATS ARE ON RHS WB WEST OF TUNNEL
1:04 AM 9 [15] BRIDGE AWARE/ENRT
1:03 AM 8 [13] 1039 BRIDGE
1:03 AM 7 [12] LL BRIDGE
1:02 AM 6 [11] [Notification] [CHP]-[10] GOATS IFO RP'S VEH
1:02 AM 5 [10] GOATS IFO RP'S VEH
1:02 AM 4 [9] GOATS IN LEFT HAND LNS
1:01 AM 3 [5] FRNT END DAMAGE TO HOOD OF RP'S VEH / DRIVABLE AND HAZ NOW ON
12:59 AM 2 [2] RP HIT SEVERAL GOATS NOW IN CD // RP IN GLD HOND CIV
12:59 AM 1 [1] HEARD OF GOATS IN LNS OF TRAFFIC / APPROX DOZEN GOATS


CBSSF.com writer, producer Jan Mabry is also executive producer and host of The Bronze Report. She lives in Northern California. Follow her on Twitter @janmabr.

 

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