Sometimes there are stories that really pull at the heart strings and the story of Edel Traud is no exception. It started when Elvire, a neighbour from several years prior, suggested to Tomorrow that an interesting story coupled with a lady in need of support might make for a great editorial. The subject was ‘The Goat Lady’ and the location was ‘in the middle of nowhere’.
Elvire gave us directions and a Google pin but our Waze location finder failed us. Finally, we found the place in the Vale de Montinho near the Barragem da Bravura. A beautiful area with spring flowers, green fields and lofty trees, all made more verdant by the recent rains.
Elvire was there at the crossroads to meet us, and we followed her up a half mile on a dirt road until we arrived at a rather rundown quinta and Edel’s small holding and paddock nearby. It was populated by a contented herd of happy goats, all different sizes of females and kids with two bucks or Billys.
Edel told us her story of how she came to her present situation. “I used to live in Monchique. My trade was creating artisanal foods like breads, jams, cheeses, sweets and more. One day across the road from my kitchen I saw a man with a goat. He was abusing the animal in a most horrendous way; beating and kicking the poor animal, which was bleating and crying out in pain. I ran across the road and told the man to stop this cruelty and he said, ‘Take the damn goat, you can have it, I’m done’. That was how I got my first goat. I named her Linda.” That was almost 40 years ago. Soon after that incident, Edel was given two more goats as it became known that she had a natural empathy with the animals.
From Monchique, Edel moved to Barão de São João where she acquired more animals to add to her family. There are primarily two breeds: the Saanen or Swiss breed, categorised as domestic, and the Algarvian breed, most common in this region and described as a docile and friendly species. The Saanen breed is known to supply a good quantity of milk and Edel has several. However, cross breeding is common and Edel loves them all.
I was amazed to learn that Edel’s goats provide for her sole income. How could anyone survive on the products made from goats’ milk, I thought. But in the country, fruits are often plentiful. Edel makes jam, conserves and chutney from apples and pears, etc., surplus to the goats’ food supply. She trades milk and cheese for eggs and olive oil and grows vegetables. She has several recipes for delicious and healthy goat cheese. Sometimes the price of freedom is frugality and Edel has become an expert.
The Goat Lady is very knowledgeable about her life’s mission. She says that goats are much maligned because they are misunderstood. Their reputation as a rapacious animal that chews up anything within reach is wrong. If properly fed or given the opportunity to graze, they are delightful animals, she says. They are also very intelligent and know that certain plants, fruits and leaves act as medicinal cures for specific ailments. They are good for the environment by pruning plants, shrubs and blooms, taking only the tops and leaving the stems and roots to redevelop.
Edel has a special relationship with her ‘family’. Each goat has a name and comes when called (usually). They live their lives independently roaming in the paddock during the morning. They have a feeding bin full of hay but she takes them out for a walk in the afternoons so they can graze in the roughly ten hectares of land nearby. A better goat herder would be hard to find. At night they have a covered area to shelter and sleep.
As a goat ’whisperer’ Edel has a unique talent. “My goats will tell me if they need something. If a goat is sick or in pain, injured or having trouble birthing, it will let me know. I am always nearby. Not only will I address the problem, but I will also stay and comfort the afflicted animal. I have various remedies, tried and true – but, ultimately, It’s all about love. Every creature on the planet responds to love.”
Help!
Edel and her goat family have been in the same location near the Barragem da Bravura for five years, but now her new landlord has asked her to vacate the property. For anyone out there who has a parcel of land suitable for a small herd of 20 goats and their carer, please contact Edel at the number/email below.
Perhaps more significantly, there may be someone out there who is in need of a talented goat herder who could take care of their animals and incorporate Edel’s small family. +351 913 802 782
Note: Edel speaks Portuguese but is not very fluent in English. Her friend Elvire – is a French and English speaker +351 914 797 251
