Writing scifi: pack-goats in 20 years?

[Sanhestar]

The particular hijink in question involves discreetly moving a half-dozen microSD cards from one location to another. I'd been thinking of putting them in a metal capsule somewhat smaller than a copper bolus (having previously trained those goats to swallow such capsules when they find them), then having those goats hired for a pack-goating hike into the nearby mountains, where the capsule would be left behind for later recovery. But if such a capsule would stay in the rumen, that whole plan requires a re-think. Maybe a visit to a vet with an endoscope to examine the stomach? There isn't a particular rush for the microSD cards to arrive, as long as they're not found, so the plan might be to just leave the capsule in the rumen for some time. Again, if any ideas occur to you on this, I'd appreciate your insights.

I don't think that the endoscope would work. First of all, a goat has not one, but FOUR stomachs. The rumen, which is the largest one, is also always about half full of plant matter. Good luck trying to find a small capsule in there.....

Endoscoping a goat: we did something similar last year to get rumen fluids from a healthy goat to restart the rumen of a sick  goat. They will not swallow the tube without a serious fight: pressing the tongue against the palate, biting down, biting through a biting block, rearing, etc.

Sedation is not an option: goats have delicate metabolism, they can collapse and die from sedation so any goatpacker worth his/her salt would not risk the goats for such a procedure on a regular basis. He/she would also not submit the goats to the endoscoping on a regular basis because we work with an animal that trusts us and goats become suspicious and withdrawn after unpleasant treatment.

I also have to say that I resent the idea of using animals, which have no choice in such matters, to be used as a literal "mule" for smuggling enterprises. They have paid the costs of human folly already in the millions. If you want, check out the story about the mules of local peasants in Turkey in 2015. Government forces killed the mules (!) to prevent smuggling. What did the mules do other than carry a load? This would be something that the goats would also be in danger off.


GPSing goats, heart rate, etc. - why would I need that as a good animal shepherd? NOTHING can replace hands, eyes and most of all, a thinking brain. GPS would not tell me if an animal is in danger from a predator, caught up in a branch (at least not for hours, when I might see that it hasn't moved), etc.

I would suggest that you go out with a goat packer or two to get hands on experiences