The goats of Mogadishu

On a recent trip to Mogadishu, I noticed that the only living things that seemed to be truly at ease in the city were the goats. The humans were generally nervous and jittery (not surprising given the pops of gunfire, suicide bomb scares, and grenade throwing). The cows looked lost. The donkeys confused - I saw one careering round and round a roundabout, madly circling in the dust.

But the goats seemed to be having a good time. It was if the city belonged to them, as they tripped about the smashed buildings, chewing on leaves, plastic, cloth and paper. Someone told me they have even learned to take cover when required, scampering behind bits of concrete or sandbags when bullets start to fly.

 Most of the goats looked relaxed and well fed

This goat lived in the smashed up old post office in Hodan district, a former stronghold of Al Shabaab

I met these goats relaxing on the steps of the National Theatre, near The Village restaurant which was recently attacked by suicide bombers

These goats were passing the day in Bakara Market, Mogadishu's main commercial district

Siesta on the steps

The Somali port of Berbera

This is a BBC report I did on the port of Berbera in Somaliland. More live animals are exported from Somali ports than anywhere else in the world. As you can see from the photos, the main animal exports are sheep, goats and camels. Getting camels onto a ship is quite a task; they have to be winched up on ropes. The sheep and goats are more obedient, even though they are going to certain death, as their meat is much loved by people in the Gulf, especially Saudi Arabia.

http://soundcloud.com/maryharper-1/berbera-port