A pet 'therapy' goat who went missing from a property in Northland in December is now safely back home.
Peaches the goat formed an unlikely friendship with a depressed pet cow belonging to the Maungaturoto Hotel.
The cow, named Bunter, was left lonely after the death of a fellow cow some months earlier.
In December, Hotel caretaker, Joe Robin, told Magic Talk's Leah Panapa Peaches was introduced to Bunter in an effort to lift the cow's spirits.
"After Rosie passed away Bunter got really depressed and we heard that goats were good therapy, and there was a lady who was willing to gift Peaches to us," said Robin.
"As soon as Peaches arrived in the paddock, Bunter was a different cow, running around everywhere."
Bunter also started eating again after the arrival of the goat. However, the happy friendship was short-lived after Peaches was stolen.
On Tuesday Robin told Panapa there was a happy ending, with Peaches being spotted among a group of goats on a local property.
"One, in particular, was alone and was a lot whiter than the rest," said Robin.
"We watch a lot of CI (Crime + Investigation), so we did our own investigating."
She said local police looked into the matter, and Peaches was soon on her way home to Bunter.
Northland police issued a statement saying they had investigated a burglary at a Maungaturoto property after someone got the owner's goat.
"Police didn't kid around and goat hold of CCTV footage and spoke with a number of people," it read.
As a result of this work, Peaches was located at a nearby property and was returned just before Christmas."
Poilce said at this stage no further action was being taken, which Peaches' owner was happy with.
"Bunter the cow, upset at the intrusion, is also understood to hold no beef," police said.
Meanwhile, Robin said they had been thinking the worst after Peaches disappeared, and it was a fantastic outcome.
"Everybody thought curry," she said.
Now reunited with her cow friend, steps have been taken to ensure the friendly goat doesn't disappear again, including reinforced and electrified fencing around the paddock.
Listen to the interview.
