Hairless goat born on Vancouver Island requires extra care, says fundraiser

Precious, the hairless baby goat, is pictured. (Maple Heart Ranch/GoFundMe)

An online fundraiser has been launched for a rare hairless baby goat that was born on Vancouver Island in April.

The unusual kid was born at Maple Heart Ranch in the Shawnigan Lake area of Vancouver Island, and its owners are doing what they can to support the goat.

"We thought it (would) not survive, as her mom didn’t take her on," reads the online fundraiser set up for the animal, which requires 24-hour care.

"But we tried anyway, as she seemed to have a very strong survival instinct," wrote Conny Rohr, owner of Maple Heart Ranch.

Rohr says she called a veterinarian for advice, and learned that the vet had never heard of such a case occurring before.

The hairless goat, now named Precious, was brought inside Rohr's family home for warmth and bottle feeding, which is required once every two hours, 24 hours a day.

Rohr describes Maple Heart Ranch as an off-the-grid homestead run by her family.

The ranch now needs to budget for Precious, who requires home heating through a generator or firewood at all times, and who will need special clothing, skin creams, diapers, and other supplies.

The family also plans to build her a special enclosure, since she'll be unable to live outside with their other goats.

Rohr says the costs are comparable to "having a human baby, which we don’t have planned in our budget."