‘Cliff Goat’ to Give Birth in Chiba Pref.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:58 JST, March 12, 2023

SAKURA, Chiba — A stray goat, rescued from a slope along a railroad track three years ago and given the name Ponyo, is expected to give birth at a facility in Sakura, Chiba Prefecture, where she is enjoying some fame.

Ponyo in May 2020 appeared on the scene near a concrete slope about 20 meters above the tracks, where she spent more than two months.

She had apparently escaped from her former owner and wandered to the location. The animal soon became the center of attention and was given the name “Cliff Goat,” or “Ponyo,” after the anime film “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea,” produced by Studio Ghibli.

Ponyo was safely rescued from the perilous location in an operation that featured a male goat and a female kid employed to lure Ponyo, who is now at Sakura Kusabue no Oka, a recreation facility in Sakura.

The father involved in Ponyo’s upcoming birth is an offspring of the female goat used in the rescue operation.

Ponyo’s due date is in early April.