Missing Texas Rodeo Goat Found After Weeks on the Lam

After a two-week nationwide search, a goat that disappeared in Texas last month has been found.

According to The Washington Post, the so-called "Great Goat Race" ended on Monday when two local cowboys captured the goat, Willy, who went missing on July 15.

Willy was found by 16-year-old Ricardo Rojas III and family friend Sammy Ambriz, 31, who were repairing animal stalls when they spotted the goat. CTV News reported that Willy was discovered in Rojas III’s backyard, approximately a mile away from where she had escaped.

In an interview with the outlet on Wednesday, Rojas III said their first attempt to capture the goat was unsuccessful. "But then," he added, "me and Sammy jumped on top of her. At that point, she wasn't going anywhere.”

The search initially began for an unnamed goat. However, within days, a Facebook poll decided that the missing goat's name would be Willy, short for Willacy County, upon her recovery.

Willy had been loaned to Veronica Herrera for livestock competitions she was hosting for Riders N Ropers, a youth rodeo organization that’s part of the nonprofit Willacy County Livestock Show and Fair. Herrera, 39, who has been participating in rodeos since she was 10, had never heard of or experienced an animal escaping before.

When her son informed her of the missing goat, a worried Herrera searched for hours to no avail. Although she expected the goat to return within a day, it did not. News of the escaped goat soon spread across neighboring cities, and as more people heard the story, more joined in the search efforts.

According to the Associated Press, residents in South Texas used horses, ATVs, and other modes of transportation in search of the lost goat. Local businesses even donated prizes as rewards for anyone who could provide information or locate the goat.

Willy was spotted several times but was “too fast,” Herrera told The Post. “She was always in the same area. It was kind of funny.”

As the search continued, stories about Willy surfaced in news outlets throughout Texas and across the country. According to CTV News, the search united more than 20,000 people.

"I think it was very awesome that everybody was working together to try to find her," Rojas III told the outlet. Speaking to The Post, Herrera said that the contractor agreed to let her keep Willy. “We were definitely not going to let her go," she added.

Using donations from the search, the rodeo arena will be repaired. Willy will also be named a mascot for the show.