- Local
- Community
- Journalism
Support the independent voice of Phoenix and help keep the future of New Times free.
Crisis averted: The baby goat stolen from the Great American Petting Zoo has been found and is en route to be returned to his mother, officials from the Arizona State Fair say.
GusGus, a 3 1/2-week-old baby goat, was missing for 20 hours when someone discovered him near a North Phoenix canal, Kristi Walsh, the fair's director of marketing, tells New Times.
Our long, local nightmare is over. #GusGus is coming home!
— Matthew Benson (@MatthewWBenson) November 5, 2015
"That person saw him and turned him into a local PetSmart. And because of all the media coverage, the pet store worker recognized him and called us," she says. "He's currently in the car with a fair official and should be back with his mother by 3 p.m."
GusGus, who made headlines with his disappearance — he even has a Twitter account — was stolen about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday from a petting zoo exhibit at the state fair. Fair officials cautioned that given GusGus' young age, were he not returned to his mother immediately, there was a good chance he would die.
This warms my cold cynical heart. I was pretty sure #GusGus was a goat burger by now. https://t.co/bpxdUDJNEP
— Robbie Sherwood (@RobbieSherwood) November 5, 2015
#GusGus Amber Alert has been cancelled :) https://t.co/K9P8XYZ4cJ
— Arizona News (@ArizonaNewsnet) November 5, 2015
"We are very grateful for the rapid response of the media and Arizonans in getting the word out today about Baby GusGus," states Karen Searle, Arizona State Fair livestock director. "It's wonderful to be a part of a community that comes together to rescue a helpless animal and return it to his mama."
Keep Phoenix New Times Free... Since we started Phoenix New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Phoenix with no paywalls.
