These Baby Goats in Mattapoisett Are Some of the Rarest in the World

One of the rarest breeds of goats can be found right here on the SouthCoast. The Arapawa goats at Pine Meadow Alpacas are not only hard to come by, they're adorable.

Two baby goats have joined the herd at the Mattapoisett farm on Monday, April 21.

"We had one girl and one boy. They're very cute, their mom is a great mom, her name is Moonshine," said Lauren Paine, Animal Educator at Pine Meadow Alpacas. "She's had around six or eight babies born on our farm over the last six years."

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The fact that these goats are in our own backyard is a big deal. The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy has deemed the Arapawa goat as "critically close to extinction."

Arapawa Goats Are Rare and Endangered

Roughly 700 of the goats remain, with about 200 of them in the United States, and you can see a small herd at Pine Meadow Alpacas.

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"We actually found them on Craigslist," Paine said with a chuckle as she recalled how they came into the farm's possession years ago.

After some research, they discovered they were fully registered and in need of a new home. If you're wondering if they're the real deal, they are. The Arapawa Association actually performed DNA tests to determine that they were, in fact, true Arapawa goats.

History of Arapawa Goats

This unique breed dates back to the 1700s when Capt. James Cook left some of the goats on New Zealand's Arapawa Islands during his travels. He never returned, "So they ended up taking over the island and becoming a feral goat," Paine said.

"They took two herds to the United States and one came to Plymouth Plantation," Paine said. "All of our Arapawas from our herd go back to that original herd at Plymouth Plantation."

Visit the Baby Goats at the Farm

You can visit the new Arapawa goats (and more baby goats of other breeds) at Pine Meadow Alpacas' Open Farm Dates.

Pine Meadow will host Open Barnyard days Thursday, April 24, Friday, April 25 and Saturday, April 26 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

"They can sign up on our Facebook page and they can feed the animals and see the baby goats," Paine said.

The new baby Arapawa goat twins aren't named yet, but Paine said they're open to suggestions.