ROSEPINE, La. (KPLC) — A small goat with a big personality became the unlikely mascot of DeRidder, and the internet couldn’t get enough.
Gary the Goat belonged to the Heritage Equine Foundation in Rosepine, a nonprofit organization that uses horses to help people battling mental health challenges. The foundation got Gary for the kids, hoping he’d be used to learn goat roping for the rodeo. But from day one, Gary had other plans.
“We got him for the kids so that they could learn to rope goats for the rodeo and stuff like that,” said Stacie Eves, a Heritage Equine Foundation worker. “First day he came... he just kept escaping. Our little Houdini.”
The foundation tried everything to contain him; horse pens, stalls, and kennels. Nothing worked. Gary eventually made U.S. 171 his home, popping up on the side of the road and stopping drivers in their tracks.
His fans started leaving him food and snacks. AI-generated pictures of Gary flooded Facebook, including one showing him diffusing a local bomb scare. Someone even suggested a ‘Gary the Goat’ song.
“It was refreshing, actually, because it brought the community together and people actually looked forward to seeing him every day,” Eves said.
David Grammon, a co-owner of a DeRidder tattoo shop and lifelong area resident, was among those who made posts featuring Gary online.
“It was just a reckless little goat that got out the fence and started becoming slowly famous through pictures and hype and just the smiles he would put on everybody’s timeline,” Grammon said. “It just kind of went crazy for a minute there.”
But last week, the foundation says Gary was hit by a car on U.S. 171. Someone reportedly brought him to a veterinary clinic, but the clinic they named says no goat was ever brought in.
The foundation says it has called every vet in the area trying to cover any bill, but no one has confirmed treating Gary. His fate remains unknown.
“I haven’t heard anything or seen anything further than just the last picture of the goat on the side of the road,” Grammon said.
For now, the community is left with questions, and memories of the goat who made them smile.
“It made me happy to see him,” Eves said. “He seemed to be happy.”
The Heritage Equine Foundation says anyone with information on Gary’s whereabouts is encouraged to reach out to them directly on Facebook.