Police in Goshen are on the hunt for hay bandits.
It sounds odd, but the Republican American reports that crooks broke into a petting zoo and animal sanctuary and made off with two wagons and 400 bales of hay.
Teresa Asklar, the vice president of Goshen's Action Wildlife, said the heist probably took at least two people more than two hours to pull off. The theft was first discovered on Friday morning when workers went to get their red iron hay wagons ready for the day's hay ride, only to find them missing, with a nearby barn cleared of its hay.
"They were just shocked," Asklar said. "They called the owner, James Mazzarelli, to see if maybe he had loaned out the wagons and if he had done something with the hay. They reached him and he told them to call police."
It might not sound like that's big a deal, until you start to do the math. Each wagon is valued at $4,500 and each bale of hay runs $5 or $2,000. The stolen hay was meant to be used to feed Animal Wildlife's 50 animals.
Police were able to follow tire tracks left by the hay-packed wagons. They say the thieves broke through a chain locking the main gate and headed down Route 4 toward Torrington.
If you've seen the wagons, or any suspicious activity in the area, State Police want to hear from you.
