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A small Italian island with a population of 100 people is being overrun by 600 goats. The mayor wants people to adopt them.

Updated on: April 8, 2024 / 11:50 AM EDT / CBS News

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A small Italian island is being overrun by goats – in fact, there are six times the amount of the animals than there are people. Riccardo Gullo, the mayor of Alicudi, which is just off the coast of Sicily, is now trying to give away goats as the island becomes inundated with the animals.

Alicudi only has 100 inhabitants but 600 goats, Gullo said in a post on social media. The goats usually graze on the mountains and cliffs of the island but as they've grown in population, they've infiltrated residential areas, according to BBC News.

Since the goats are damaging gardens, Gullo came up with an "Adopt A Goat" program to give them away. Adoption applications are due on Wednesday, BBC News reports.

The small Italian island of Alicudi is being overrun by goats/ Mayor Riccardo Gullo

Alicudi is one of seven islands that make up the Aeolian Archipelago, and there is a farmer on a nearby island, Vulcano, who produces cheese and would like to take some of the goats, Gullo told the Guardian.

In an interview with local publication Fanpage, Gullo said he is an animal rights activist and has never even caught a fish.

"In my belief, we must always intervene in nature with soft feet," Gullo said. "I hope, and in this I am comforted by the experts, that we have made the best possible choice and that these goats will live a happy life."

He has thought about the possibility of allowing breeders to take the goats and said an entrepreneur called to offer to take all 600 of the animals.

The goats usually graze on the mountains and cliffs of Alicudi but as they've grown in population, they've infiltrated residential areas, Mayor Riccardo Gullo

The goats would normally each cost 200 euros – or about 217 U.S. dollars – but the Alicudi goats will be free to anyone who wants them. The goats will be checked out by a vet before they are delivered.

If the goat adoption plan works, it may be applied to other Aeolian islands that are overrun with the animals.

"Who knows why goats get along so well in our islands: So particular, so solitary... It means that they are goats of good taste," Gullo told Fanpage.

CBS News has reached out to Gullo for comment but did not immediately get a response.

Caitlin O'Kane

Caitlin O'Kane is a New York City journalist who works on the CBS News social media team as a senior manager of content and production. She writes about a variety of topics and produces "The Uplift," CBS News' streaming show that focuses on good news.