The Pelham Police Department made that determination after opening an investigation after a fair-goer reported a black goat was unresponsive at the event's petting zoo, AL.com reported.
Peyton Hill attended the fair Saturday night and filmed a 10-second clip of the goat, which was lying in its food bowl, WBRC reported. She posted the video on Facebook on Sunday, and by Monday night more than 100,000 people had viewed it. Many expressed outrage, the television station reported. The video also has been posted on YouTube with an age restriction.
Hill said the animals at the petting zoo appeared to be exhausted and were without water, AL.com reported.
"They were super dirty, covered in feces, and I didn't see any water,'' Hill told AL.com Monday.
But Alabama State Fair director Mark Lovell, said the goat was recuperating from being injured when the camel accidentally fell on the goat Thursday, WBRC reported.
“No one did anything wrong,” Lovell told the television station. “It’s a shame that the camel slipped.”
Pelham police Chief Larry Palmer said in a statement late Monday that investigators determined the goat died as a result of an injury caused by another animal in the petting zoo.
"Officers have observed the animals several times since the incident, including on Sunday and today," the statement read. "At no time did they observe any without food or water, and none appeared to be in distress.”
"We have determined this was an unfortunate accident,'' Palmer told AL.com.
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