"What do I think when I shepherd my goats? I think of wolves and the possibility of them eating my goats, and wonder where I might find a shady place to rest, what else? Last year the wolves ate eight of my goats and a dog. Once I saw the goats jumping around in fear. The wolf had bitten one of them on the neck and was getting ready to eat it, but the dogs intervened and saved it. Another time, I was lying under a fence when I heard a noise. I stood up and saw a wolf standing frozen in its spot. I was scared to death and by the looks of it so was the wolf. I yelled loudly and it ran off, but then it circled to the back of the herd to eat the animals. They always do that; they are smart".

In the forest of Olympus

Costas Mpouziotas is a goat breeder in Poroi of Pieria. He is smart and very cultured man, as is his wife. They have six grandchildren, which like to play with the goats and don't get bored even if they are left in the pen all day.

The pen is always clean, because next to it, the water coming from Olympus mountain flows. Poroi is the last village in Pieria, at the borders of Larissa county. It is situated at an altitude of 550 meters, almost hidden in the lush forest of the mythical mountain.

Costas likes goats more than he likes sheep: "If I had sheep you wouldn't be able to bear the stench, goats are cleaner animals. In the spring, however, they eat too much and pee very often, that is why the manure is ruined. In the winter, it is dry and of good quality".

The goats usually live up to 14 years, but at the age of 7 they "break". They let the rams live until they're 4-5 years old because afterwards they have no urges and don't look to breed. They twist their genitals and beat them with a wood, but they avoid beating their nipple, because they may die. Without their genitals they can't mate with the goats, their smell improves and they're ready to be slaughtered and eaten.

Pure products

Costas complains about the fact that butchers care more about buying cheap meat rather than good meat. "Who would come up here? They don't even call us; it's up to us to do it. They order the goats via the telephone; they don't even care about what they're going to buy. Only the vet appreciates our animals. 'Hold this goat for me, I want to buy it', he told me before Easter, and we did save it for him".

When Costas tastes cheeses that are sold in the supermarkets he almost throws up. His children have never drunk skimmed milk. Once he ran out of cheese and bought some from the store. His kids could tell the difference in an instant. "This one smells like powdered milk, dad", they told him.
TEXT-PHOTOS: GEORGE ZAFEIROPOULOS
SOURCE: www.greecewithin.com

MORE PHOTOS

His grandchildren are enchanted by such images.

Poroi is crowded in summer.

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