A six-second video clip of a 4-year-old goat in Standish that was posted to the Internet last week has gone viral.

Wendy Almeida, of Standish, produced and posted the video to Vine, a popular video-sharing site, on Dec. 6. By Dec. 16, the video had reached more than 1.5 million views. Almeida’s 18-year-old daughter, Lucia, owns the Nigerian Dwarf milking goat, named Stelli.

Almeida, an editor at the Portland Press Herald, said she started her online Vine account a few months ago because she “was intrigued with the idea of how to tell a story or share a thought in a six-second video.” But she never expected her video of Stelli to get so many views, she said.

“I have no idea why this video struck a chord other than it makes people laugh because it is so ridiculously silly,” Almeida said.

In the video, Stelli is apparently expressing her anger about being fed late while engaging in a conversation with Almeida last week. Stelli makes noises in response to questions her owner poses. Almeida said it’s likely that the video went viral because it appears that Stelli is responding to her questions.

According to Almeida, Stelli is particularly vocal after sunrise if she is not promptly fed her morning dose of grains and hay.

“Stelli primarily talks in the morning because she does not like waiting for her breakfast,” said Almeida.

The video, which continues to gain popularity, is one of several posted by Almeida on Vine in recent months that showcase Lucia’s 4-H animals on the family’s small hobby farm. Another video she posted on Saturday, which shows Stelli eating her breakfast on time, had reached more than 54,000 views by Monday.

“This past week has been a super fun ride for my family, and my daughter’s 4-H club, because we’ve all known for years what a hoot Stelli is,” said Almeida. “If watching a video of Stelli brought a smile to someone’s day, then that makes us happy was well.”

Almeida said Lucia has owned Stelli for about four years and is part of a herd of goats being kept by Lucia and her sister, Gaetana. Together the sisters raise and breed Nigerian Dwarf goats that are featured in 4-H dairy goat shows at fairs throughout Maine.

“Stelli loves people and is usually the first one out the door to greet people at any time of day,” Almeida said. “She’s bossy and definitely the queen of the herd. She’s a real people-oriented goat.”

Closer Look

A six-second video of Stelli the talking goat can be viewed online at https://vine.co/v/i7a7YY9wQOO.

Stelli, a 4-year-old goat owned by 18-year-old Lucia Almeida of Standish, became a social media sensation last week.

Copy the Story Link