A 999 distress call victim actually turned out to be a goat

A National Police Air Service helicopter was dispatched to the site of a 999 call this weekend, only to find that the subject of the call, who had appeared in distress, was in fact a goat.

A passerby to Bristol's Avon Gorge reported "repeated" wailing noises, and a helicopter was dispatched to the scene, arriving at roughly 4.50pm on Sunday.

The NPAS Filton tweeted their view of the scene after the callout:

Ollie Dismore, a spokesperson from the NPAS, said that the helicopter was dispatched because the "difficult nature of the terrain meant that a search on foot would not be possible by the local Avon and Somerset police force":

The police appreciate the efforts of this caller as they do all callers who support their work by alerting them to incidents which they may otherwise not be made aware of.

Reports of this nature are taken seriously in order to ensure that public safety is maintained and individuals safeguarded.

He added that no humans were found during the search, but that a "number of goats were discovered".

He explained that cries from goats "can be mistaken for humans in distress", such as in this case.

Following NPAS Filton's tweet, pun-related hilarity ensued:

Even other local NPAS services got involved:

You may ask why we have covered this story, as well as so many others in the past, about a goat.

Our answer:

HT BBC