Men broke into nature reserve and 'forced goat to drink beer'

Nature centre director says she is 'furious and disgusted' after seeing disturbing break-in footage

A group of men broke into a nature centre and forced a goat to drink beer while harassing other animals, officials said.

Newly discovered surveillance footage from the February incident at the Sweetbriar Nature Centre on Long Island, New York shows the pack of vandals descending onto the nature centre and causing trouble before trashing the camera in a nearby body of water.

The men are seen pouring beer into a goat’s mouth and climbing into various cages and pens housing the other animals.

At one point, the group notices the surveillance camera and can be seen taking it off its post while attempting to discard any evidence of the break-in.

“Just take the whole ‘f*****g’ thing,” one of the men can be heard saying in the footage.

“I’m throwing it into the water,” another added. “Don’t worry.”

Volunteers discovered the abandoned surveillance footage as officials were inspecting the water quality at the lake, according to police.

Police have launched a probe to identify the men seen in the video at the Long Island nature centre.

Janine Bendicksen, the director of the Long Island nature centre, described feeling “furious and disgusted” by the incident in an interview with CBS2 News.

She said the men “harassed” the animals, adding, “They were here causing trouble.”

“They definitely thought they got away with it,” she said. “Now I think they’re going to be pretty shocked when their faces come up on the news.”

Local residents with any information on the suspects seen in the video have been urged by local officials to call the Smithtown Department of Public Safety at 631-360-7553.