Goats making guest appearances in Zoom calls are helping a farm in the United Kingdom thrive during the coronavirus pandemic.
Cronkshaw Fold Farm, located at the town of Lancashire, decided to hire out its goats for video calls last April as a joke. It has since amassed £50,000 (P3.2 million), BBC reported yesterday, Feb. 1.
Dot McCarthy, the 32-year-old who runs the farm, has seen her goats meet people around the world, from China to Australia to the United States. The farm charges £5 for each call, during which the goats show up as a surprise.
“I’m on the phone all day and people are just in hysterics because they’ve sneaked a goat into the business meeting and the boss hasn’t noticed,” she told BBC.
“It’s so ridiculous, it’s complete escapism. At the moment people just want something completely surreal so they can forget about everything else.”
Before the pandemic, the farm would host weddings and educational tours. Now, McCarthy plans to have the video call service continue even if there are no more coronavirus restrictions.
According to the farmer, it beats selling manure to keep the farm afloat. The earnings have allowed her to keep two staff members employed full-time. She also plans to invest in having the farm run on renewable power. /ra
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