ALICUDI -- The picturesque island of Alicudi, nestled in the Aeolian archipelago off Sicily's coast, is battling a unique problem – its wild goat population that has exploded in past years and is overrunning the island.

 With about 100 human residents, the previously idyllic island set in the shimmering Mediterranean Sea now hosts an alarming ratio of six goats per person, with the imbalance sparking concerns about the island's ecosystem and safety.

 Enter Mayor Riccardo Gullo, who has come up with an innovative plan to find homes for the four-legger local residents that have been causing havoc by encroaching on residential areas, invading homes, and devouring vegetation both in public parks and private gardens. The goats, originally introduced by a local entrepreneur two decades ago, who then freed them when his farming activity failed to take off, have been reproducing quickly and exponentially over the past two decades. Their rapid increase has led to challenges for the island's infrastructure and environment.

 To mitigate the crisis, Mayor Gullo has unveiled an "adopt-a-goat" program, launching an urgent plea that calls for those interested in the animals to come to the island by boat and take the animals away. The programme allows interested parties to officially request up to 50 goats and aims to rid the island of almost all of the goats barring a few to be kept for tourism purposes.

 Despite the chaos caused by the goats, the local authorities headed by Mayor Gullo are committed to humane solutions, ruling out culling as an option. Gullo expressed a preference for domestication over consumption, although no strict vetting process is in place for potential adopters. Those that are interested in taking up the offer need to email the local authority and pay a nominal fee to file their request.

 “The deadline for applications to the public tender we issued for the goats is April 10,” Mayor Gullo told the Italian Insider.  “We are very much encouraging and hoping that it is farmers to take the goats in, as it will be in their interest to look after them well, as they are excellent producers of much sought-after dairy products like ricotta cheese and milk.”

 “Obviously, if farmers take them they would no longer be allowed to roam free. But if they continue to do so here on Alicudi, given how quickly the population has growth they would be out of vegetation food in a year or two anyhow.”

 Alicudi, characterized by its volcanic landscape and absence of hotels and roads, attracts visitors seeking remote tranquillity. However, the goat influx has disrupted this peace, prompting comparisons to similar incidents worldwide, including a goat invasion in a Texas neighbourhood and roaming herds spotted in a Welsh town during lockdown.