The typical lifespan of a male Boer goat averages about a decade, but one of them – a Sanctuary One Care Farm resident – continues to defy age with style.
Pavarotti, a resident of the 55-acre Applegate care farm since 2012, is a whopping 21 years old. He was around before iPhones, before Facebook and Twitter. Ancient history, basically.
Born Feb. 28, 2003, Pavarotti first arrived in Southern Oregon on April 12, 2012, one of 19 goats transferred from the Silver Creek Animal Sanctuary in Silverton, Oregon. As an ambassador animal, he will live his life out at the care farm and cannot be adopted. His advanced age and the increased stress that goes with it are the key reasons for the decision, Sanctuary One Executive Director Megan Flowers says.
But age hasn’t tarnished Pavarotti’s swagger. Weighing in at 200 pounds – he’s the oldest and largest goat living on the property – he goes through his days with a quiet, strong grace, according to care farm Animal Care Manager Colleen Avery.
“He’s very…majestic is what I would call him,” Avery says. “He’s like a gentle giant. He’s very quiet, laid back. He’s very stoic. He’s got big, beautiful horns and soft eyes.”
Pavarotti isn’t an official meet-and-greet selection during school field trips and public tours that visit the farm. He’s friendly, Avery says, but his substantial horns could cause accidental injury, so he’s sidelined from direct interaction out of an abundance of caution. Instead, he hangs out in the care farm pond pasture, but visitors can still pet him over the fence.
“He’s a staff favorite, for sure,” Avery says.
His gentle strength helped carry him through a health scare in September 2023 when he experienced a sudden and rapid health scare. Luckily, Sanctuary One employees and volunteers were able to nurse him back to health. The initial decline, likely stemming from a dental issue, was solved by changing his diet. Now farm officials mash and soak his food.
Fully recovered, he continues to roam the grounds, quiet grace maintained. There’s a reverence for him among the other animals, who make ample space for him when he’s passing through.
“He’s got this presence about him,” Avery says.
What other history and discoveries will Pavarotti live to see? Time will tell. But this goat has already made his mark on Sanctuary One several times over.
