All sorts of things happen in this world — including, it turns out, a tower built for goats.
It sounds unbelievable, but in the small town of Windsor in the US state of Illinois stands just such an unusual structure. From a distance, the 31-foot brick tower looks like a fairy-tale castle. But its residents are not people — they are a herd of Saanen goats. Thanks to its curious design and novel idea, the “Tower of Ba-Goat” has become a subject of worldwide curiosity beyond a local attraction.
The tower was built by farmer couple Dave and Marcia Johnson. Made of about 5,000 handmade bricks, it has a spiral path of 276 steps. The goats climb up easily along the outer winding path and spend the night in small inner chambers. The story began earlier, though: in the 1990s, Dave was inspired by a photo of a similar goat tower at a South African winery. That image made him dream of building one on his own farm — and, amusingly, he did not own a single goat at the time. He bought 11 Saanen goats only after the tower was finished.
Why so much effort for goats? The answer lies in their nature. Saanen goats originate from the mountainous region of Switzerland and naturally love climbing to high places, which helped them stay safe and survey their surroundings. With no such opportunity on flat farmland, the Johnsons created an artificially elevated environment for them. Experts say such an environment reduces animals’ stress, relieves boredom and helps maintain their natural behavior.
There was a funny twist during construction, too: building from the photo’s measurements made the tower larger than planned, unintentionally turning it into the world’s tallest goat tower. Extra bricks even had to be brought in, though the original plan was to use leftover bricks from building a house.
Today the tower is not just a home for goats but also draws tourists, who watch the goats climb up and down, take photos and pet them. What began as a mere hobby is now a unique example of animal welfare, creative farming and rural tourism — proof that a little different thinking can turn an ordinary farm into something extraordinary. Source: Atlas Obscura, 99% Invisible.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report