Hopper and Gonzo evicted from island near Steep Rock despite petition backing goats

That's all she wrote for a pair of goats they've been removed from their Lake Manitoba island by powerboat.

Hopper and Gonzo, a tourist attraction on an uninhabited 1.2-hectareisland offthe village of Steep Rock, about 210 kilometres north of Winnipeg, were hauled away on Monday as ordered by the provincial government.

Their owner, Peter Hofbauer, the proprietor of shoreline tourist businessSteep Rock Kayak and Canoe Rentals, said it wasn't easy rounding up the two ungulates but didn't give details.

Hofbauer, who transported the goats in a motorboat, faced a $500 fine if he refused tocomply.

The province ordered the goats off the island despite an online petition signed by more than 1,500 people as of Monday in support of the goats.

The province said it issued the order after a resident complained the goats were grazing on the island without a permit, like one required to graze cattle on Crown land.

Goat Island, as locals have dubbed it, isn't very hospitable for two- or four-legged creatures but was like a free-range beach resort for Hopper and Gonzo the past five summers: limestone rubble covered with Russian thistle, stinging nettlesand poison ivy that the goats devour.

Hofbauer believes the province is trying to fast-track his case but it hasn't even determined yet whether the island qualifies as grazing land. Hofbauer cannot apply for a permit to use the land until the province gives it a designation.

"I actually don't know if it will happen this summer or not," he said. "Personally, I think it would be a lot simpler and logical to 'code' the two goats as wildlife, and just leave them there as I have been doing for years."

Hofbauer said the Rural Municipality of Grahamdale and the regional economic development officer have been very supportive of keeping the tourist attraction and are trying to work with the province.

Hofbauer used the goats as anattraction for people renting his watercraft to see Steep Rock's famous white cliffs from the water. People could then take a rolled oats and molasses mixture provided by Hofbauer to the island to feed the goats.

He said the recent controversy has generated a lot of positive publicity for Hopper and Gonzo.

"I have to say, though, none of this is hurting me. I have only become busier," Hofbauer, 39, said in an email exchange.

"More people are coming out, more people are finding out about Steep Rock, and more people are following my accounts on social media."

Hofbauer said he is undecided what to do with the goats. He had been looking to sell them as pets or meat, but is holding on to them for now. However, finding livestock feed isn't easy or cheap in the region, which is suffering a drought.