Army's next regimental goat evades capture on Great Orme

Lance Corporal Shenkin III

Soldiers from the Royal Welsh took on a mission today unlike no other.

They were dispatched to the Great Orme to select a new recruit to succeed their mascot - Shenkin III - which passed away in September.

The goat in question managed to avoid being captured

The tradition dates back to 1884 when Queen Victoria formally presented the regiment with a goat from her own herd. The Regimental Goat has been chosen from the Royal Herd ever since.

The former Shenkin performing his duties
The goat must perform important duties like meeting the Queen

He will be the latest in a long line of regimental mascots who will serve for many years to come.

However, the soldiers had some difficulty catching him as he managed to evade capture from a dart gun - eight times.

"He's a very inquisitive goat. He's got a cheeky smile on his face so he's the one we wanted to select and hopefully he's the one that will be leading Wales out in the near future", Sgt Mark Jackson told ITV News.

The goat managed to bag himself one more night as a civilian on the Great Orme

Soldiers, along with an RSPCA vet, were deployed to the Great Orme to choose a Kashmir goat who will then be taken to Cardiff for training.

But, after a number of unsuccessful attempts to catch him, the operation was called off.

"They're different from sheep in that they won't be herded as sheep will so you have to go after them and that's where we find the darting works best", said vet Jim Mason.

He is most famous for his appearances before Wales matches during the Six Nations. The newest addition will learn to march in front of the Regimental Band, interact with the public, as well as stand patiently while on parade - once he's caught...