Goat keepers can certainly tell the difference, but to the general public the sound of a goat was enough to spark a police search by air recently.

Police in Bristol had an emergency call alerting them to sounds of a woman in distress at Avon Gorge, a notorious suicide spot.

A helicopter from the National Police Air Service was sent to find the source, however what they found was just one of the feral goats that live at the gorge.


NPAS Filton posted a picture of the goat on Twitter with the caption: "1650hrs Avon Gorge searching for person who sounded in distress. We may have found the culprit!"


Ollie Dismore, from the NPAS, told the BBC: "A National Police Air Service (NPAS) helicopter was involved in a response to a 999 call at the Avon Gorge in Bristol."

"As the difficult nature of the terrain meant that a search on foot would not be possible by the local Avon and Somerset police force, they called in the police helicopter to take on the search and NPAS Filton responded to the call."

A spokesman for the NPAS said: "The police appreciate the efforts of this caller as they do all callers who support their work by alerting them to incidents which they may otherwise not be made aware of."