The Judas Goat

I read an interesting story earlier this week. At the time, I wasn't sure if it was true or not, but now I know it is based on fact.

The story was about The Judas Goat.

For those unfamiliar with the term, a Judas Goat is an animal trained to lead other animals (usually sheep). In this account, the Judas Goat worked in a multi-level abbatoir and led the other beasts to their slaughter.

“The only way to calmly get them [sheep] on the killing floor was a goat. We’d take the goat and put him in front of the sheep. Up the ramp they’d go, following Judas. If the sheep hesitated, Billy would bleat to keep them moving. If they didn’t come, he’d stop, turn around, bleat more, and wait for them to catch up.

At the pinnacle, on the sixth floor, a single doorway led to the final point of debarkation. After the last sheep went by, the goat came back down the ramp to get his reward."

You can read more about the Judas Goat here.

And what was the reward?