There's some sad news to share out of Lake Cumberland in Kentucky as it appears Billy the Goat has died.

Who is Billy the Goat?

Billy became a fixture around the Lake Cumberland area for years thanks to his size and unique look. Obviously, his appearance is not the same as the type of goat you see on a farm as you can see in the video below.

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As word of Billy spread, visitors to the area would keep their eyes along the shoreline hoping to catch a glimpse of the long-horned celebrity. He even has his own Billy the Goat fan group on Facebook where people share pictures of their Billy sightings, many of which show that Billy liked the attention as he allowed people to stand near him and even pet him (of course, it didn't hurt that some of them had food).

billy the goat cumberland lake ky
Amanda Ballman
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It's clear Billy was loved by those who spent time at the lake which makes the recent news of his passing difficult for many to comprehend, especially due to the way his life ended.

Lake Cumberland's Billy the Goat Found Dead

On Monday (March 13th, 2023), Matthew Blum, who has shared several videos he's created of Billy in the Lake Cumberland Boaters Facebook group, posted that he had received a photo of Billy's body on the shore of the lake and that it appeared he had died of a gunshot wound "around 3-4 weeks ago." He did not reveal the name of the person who sent him the photo and said he would not share the photo publically "as it would be very upsetting to a lot of people."

billy the goat lake cumberland ky
Amanda Ballman
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Who is Responsible for Billy's Death?

The million-dollar questions now become, "Who allegedly killed Billy?" and "Why?" I don't have a connection to Billy like the people in the two Facebook groups do, and I have no problem with hunting if your intention is to use the animal as a source of food for yourself and your family, but as far as I know, there's no mountain goat hunting season in Kentucky, and clearly whoever did this had no good reason (that we know of) other than they just wanted to. However, to be fair, play devil's advocate, or whatever you want to call it, maybe whoever is responsible saw Billy from a distance and mistook him for another type of animal. Unfortunately, I'm afraid the answers may never come.

Tributes to Billy

It's obvious the gentle giant of Lake Cumberland was beloved by many. Once news of his untimely passing was shared, several people began to share photos of Billy they had taken and hoped that whoever is responsible would be brought to justice. One even offered to build a tribute to Billy in the form of a steel statue. You can see that post and the other tributes in both Billy's fan group and the Lake Cumberland Boaters group.

[Sources: Billy the Lake Cumberland Goat Facebook Group / Lake Cumberland Boaters.com Facebook Group]

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