Submitted by Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium
They hop sideways. They jump. They run in a blur around the goat yard. They nap. They nurse.
The twin sister Nigerian dwarf goats born two weeks ago at Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium are 5-pound bundles of energy that entertain kids and adults alike.
And now (drum roll, please!), they have names.
Fittingly, considering the goats’ very different coloring, members of the public picked Sugar and Spice from three slates of names submitted by zookeepers. The also-rans were Opal and Agnes and Coral and Elsie.
Appropriately, zookeepers chose to name the sister who is white with tri-colored patches Sugar. Her brown-and-tan twin is Spice.
The kids, also called doelings, are among 17 Nigerian dwarf goats in the Kids’ Zone area of the zoo. They join the crowd with their mother Hazel and other residents with names like Buttons and Buckles, Newman and Hanson, and elder goats Dewey and Porter, who turned 15 this year.
The zoo’s Kids’ Zone is meant to instill children with a sense of wonderment about animals; help them gain an increased level of respect for all living things, and teach them to protect and care for animals.
For just 50 cents, kids and adults can buy a bit of feed from a dispenser and have an eager goat eating out of their hands. Free goat grooming sessions are held from 11:00 a.m. to noon daily.
The little animals are miniature dairy goats of West African origin. The species originally was imported to the United States in the 1930s.
They grow only to about 24 inches high and can weigh upwards of 75 pounds.
A visit to Kids’ Zone is free with admission to Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium.
The zoo is open from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily.
