Hopper and Gonzo: Province running beloved goats off their island in Lake Manitoba

Hopper and Gonzo, two goats that became an unlikely international tourist attraction on a small island in Lake Manitoba, will soon be gonzo for real — the province has ordered their removal.

The goats have spent the past five summers holidaying on the island off the shore of Interlake village of Steep Rock, 230 kilometres north of downtown Winnipeg.

Peter Hofbauer, who runs an eclectic lakeshore business called Steep Rock Kayak and Canoe Rentals, ferries the goats out to the island each year for their own brand of tropical paradise — all the Russian thistle they can eat, plus side dishes of stinging nettles, poison ivy, etc., that the goats devour but which discourage some other animals, including the two-legged kind.

When people rent kayaks, especially families with small children, Hofbauer provides a container of rolled oats with molasses. People can first kayak to see Steep Rock's famous chalky cliffs from the water, then zip over to feed the goats from the nearby island's stony shore.

It's a huge hit with people of all ages.

If the government would say leave them there but for next year we've got to get all the paperwork done, it would be good for tourism, good for me, and good for the goats.- Peter Hofbauer

The quirky tourist site has garnered media attention locally, nationally and even internationally in some German publications, Hofbauer says. In the last two weeks, Hofbauer has had tourists from British Columbia, Slovakia, Tasmania and Paris, France, who all kayaked to what is now locally dubbed as "Goat Island" to see Hopper and Gonzo. 

T-shirts, mugs carry their images

They have become so popular Hofbauer now sells T-shirts and mugs with their images.  As well, radio personalities Ace Burpee and Chrissy Troy have visited, and Burpee took the goats for a ride on a paddleboard. The goats were also part of a Travel Manitoba advertisement video several years ago.

However, the province recently received a complaint from a local resident accusing Hofbauer of grazing the animals on the island without a permit. The province agreed and has ordered the goats be removed by July 31, a spokesman for Manitoba Sustainable Development said.

The complaint accused the province of "allowing the goats to remain without permission" while other livestock on Crown land requires permits, the spokesman said.

The province has to first review and "code" the land, meaning designate it as grazing land, before Hofbauer can apply for a leasing permit to let the goats return.

However, Hofbauer has been told this permitting process could take several months, lasting well beyond his tourist season. It doesn't pay for him to buy feed for the goats year round so he has put them up for sale as pets or for meat.

Hofbauer, 39, wishes the province would show some leniency. 

"It's going to hurt tourism more than it's going to hurt me," he said. "If the government would say leave them there but for next year we've got to get all the paperwork done, it would be good for tourism, good for me, and good for the goats." 

Hofbauer's kiosk is the only privately run tourist business in the Steep Rock area, he says, which has a municipally run campground. He also rents cabins to families on his parents' nearby farm.

Hofbauer, 39, maintains someone complained because they don't like him operating his kiosk, not because he has no permit for a scruffy, inhospitable island that no other livestock could survive on. 

"It's petty stuff," he said.

Protest erupts in social media

The situation has unleashed a fury of protest on social media. An online petition is also circulating on ipetitions.com under "Save the Steep Rock Goats" and was signed by hundreds of people as of mid-afternoon Wednesday.

There were more than 150 comments on Steep Rock Kayak's Facebook page as of noon on Wednesday. One man called the province's actions "beyond lame," while a woman asked: "Who would do such a thing?"

"Peter we absolutely love how you keep Steep Rock fun and enjoyable with all the great things you do during the summer months. We pray Hopper and Gonzo can find a home close by," she wrote.

Local farmer Larry Solberg called the actions "absolutely disgusting."

"I'm a local business and farmer, and having a natural attraction on the island is one of the most creative ideas ever ... This not only benefits Steep Rock but also other businesses in the area." 

Requests seek one last visit

"It took off like wild fire," Hiofbauer said of the online support.

He's also been inundated with requests from people wanting to visit his popular ungulates one last time before they are taken away on Sunday.

Gonzo is the older, more aggressive goat who thinks he's the boss, Hofbauer says, while Hopper is younger and somewhat meeker but often the crowd favourite, which only serves to get Gonzo's goat, so to speak.

Hofbauer has assured the public he has other plans up his sleeve if efforts to save the goats fail.

For example, Hofbauer added a stray chicken to his menagerie this year after it showed up unwanted at a local farmer's door. "Bianca" has also drawn complaints, he says, and now remains tethered by a very long string. Kids like to pet and hug Bianca, he says.