THREE new arrivals have joined the goats grazing on Bournemouth’s cliffs.

One of the goats, ‘Folly’ who has been part of the herd since 2020, has had three kids.

An announcement on the Bournemouth Goats Facebook page said: “Folly is very pleased to introduce her gorgeous triplets. Two little boys and a little girl. Mum and babies are all doing well.”

Owner of the herd, Mark Jackson said: “They’re doing really well, they’re eating and drinking and keeping warm underneath the heat lamp at the moment so they're great.

“These are planned ones, unlike the ones that we didn't know were pregnant at the time. “We’ve got another one due to give birth in the next few days and then we’ll wait for about a month and then we’ll have the other three girls kidding.

“The kids will be kept in the stable over the winter and then they’ll come down to the cliff in the springtime.

“The rest of the herd is doing really well, we’re keeping a daily check on them down here at the moment on the seafront.

“We've been looking at the Kashmiri boys walking around on the West Cliff, they're just hunkering down at night under the trees for shelter at the moment.

“We’re doing everything we can, working with the council. They're going to be doing some cutting back of the other plants, the trees and shrubs on the cliff over the winter, where there's no goats, so people can see the view. Everything is going well, we’re keeping on top of everything and it's nice to tick over at the moment without any major problems.”

The Bournemouth Goat herd maintains the East and West cliff tops for the council. The goats eat back the vegetation keeping the area tidy. There are currently 52 goats in the Bournemouth herd.

Speaking about the project a BCP Council spokesperson said: “This grazing project forms part of our work to help combat the ecological emergency declared by BCP Council in 2019.

“The conservation grazing project on the cliffs is doing a great job in managing the dominant species such as gorse and holm oak and this is allowing for more biodiversity within the plant species.

“Some of the cliff vegetation is very hard to manage due to the nature of the slopes and goat grazing is a tried and tested management system to protect and improve the special habitats along the cliffs.”

To help support the welfare of the goat herd Mark has released a 2023 Bournemouth Goats calendar. The calendar costs £10 and can be bought from the Bournemouth Goats Facebook page and some local shops. All the money raised will go to the welfare of the goats and this is the herd’s only current fundraiser.