Wear your power lightly

Updated November 19, 2024

If you were to ask Oliver Twist right now if humans were his friends, chances are he would shake his tiny black hoof in a firm “no”. He may even let out one of his blood-curdling cries. But it is an answer we’d urge him to write in pencil, for we are confident it is one he will soon revise.

Dear little Oliver, at around 8 weeks of age, is a tiny waif of a kid goat who has been cast adrift far too soon. Recently separated from his guiding mumma, he was thrust into an unfamiliar world he does not understand.

And one he anxiously fears.

With his pale pink nose and sad, big brown eyes, he cuts a forlorn figure as he stands atop his teddy in an attempt to reach something higher—what that is, we do not know. But if it is our hearts, he’s more than reached that goal.

To help ease him into his new world, we have enlisted the help of Fae. Fae, you may recall, is a sweet little goat who likes to hide her cheeky side. Like Oliver, Fae arrived with a well-founded distrust of humans. However, with patience, kindness and care, she was coaxed to see us humans as friends—a path we see her nudging Oliver gently down.

Although barely older than he, Fae has taken well to her big sister role. We see this come to the fore when she defiantly steps forward, shielding young Oliver from his perceived foe, reminding us that the terms of engagement must be Oliver’s, not ours. And so, with his brown fur as soft as his gentle nature, we shall have to wait until Oliver tells us it is time we can melt our hands into it.

Knowing that change is possible in the fertile soil of hope, justice and sanctuary, we trust that in the coming days Oliver’s fear will fade, and he will see that brighter world ahead. His lungs will fill with the sweet smell of hay and the kindness surrounding him, those mountainous climbs atop his teddy will be infused with joy and no longer dread, and with his newfound confidence, he’ll wear his power lightly.

While Oliver’s tale could have ended badly, it did not, for a life of sanctuary has now found him. Yet for many goats and kids, there is no such a fairytale end. Considered pests or production units, their lives become lost in a system that routinely and legally fails them—a poignant reminder that we humans have so much power over animals. It’s time to exercise it wisely, and wear our power lightly, too.