Complaint about loud goats in rural Maple Ridge baffles local farm community

A residentof Maple Ridge's Whonnock communitysays she was in disbelief when she foundan anonymous letter in her mailbox from someone threatening to call the SPCA over her loud goats and chickens.

"I was literally in shock. The first thing I did was phone the SPCA myself to be proactive," saidRhiannon McMillan.The B.C. SPCA confirms it did receive a call about the note.

McMillan says animal noises arepart of lifein herrural neighbourhood near Webster's Corners.

"Expect that you're gonna see and hear and smell different kinds of things."

The letter reads:"Feed your animals or sell them or we will be calling the SPCA. We can hear them all the way from our place."

PascaleShaw operates Rainbow Eggs Farmsand sits onthe Maple Ridge agricultural advisory committee. As the community of Whonnock grows with new residents, she's concerned that some aren't learning aboutthe lifestyle that comes with living in a rural area.

"Whenthey get there, they're surprised byanimals making strange noises, smells they're not used to and they're surprised and disappointed."

While McMillan doesn't know who wrotethe unsigned complaint, she suspects it's someone relatively new to the area who isn't familiar or comfortable with the farm lifestyle.

More folks moving to rural Maple Ridge communities

Few places in Metro Vancouver have grown at a faster rate in the last decade than the eastern half of Maple Ridge, home of traditionally rural neighbourhoods like Whonnock and Webster's Corners.

According to census data, the populationof thesouthern half of the area increased by 45per cent from 2006 to 2016 virtually all of it froman increase in single-detached houses that used to be the site of farmland or forests.

Shaw believes the pandemic has pushed more people to rural communities like Whonnockas they look for more space.

"But sometimes they don't realize with that extra space comes neighbours that have animals on them."

Both women are encouragingpotential homeowners to research the rural community before closing a deal andnoisy farm animals start getting their goat.