Farmer finds a new way of income, starts goat Zoom calls

The farmer named Dot McCarthy started the whole thing as a joke but it soon turned into a profitable business.

In the past few months, Zoom has become a part of the new “normal” for many who are working from home. From attending regular meetings to staying in touch with colleagues, people are using this platform for different purposes. Among them is a farmer named Dot McCarthy hailing from Rossendale in Lancashire, England. However, instead of meetings, she started using the platform to offer an unusual, and rather amusing, service - online video calls with goats.

People from different parts of the world have opted for the goat on Zoom call service. (Twitter/@DotMcCarthy)

McCarthy started the whole thing as a joke but it soon turned into a people’s favourite, reports the BBC. She revealed that during the lockdown she ended up making £50,000 as people started hiring goats to appear on Zoom calls, especially during office meetings.

What is even more surprising is that her goats have now made global appearances as people from all over the world, including Australia, Russia, China and the US, opted for the service.

She also has a website where people can hire goats. Also, they have services where one can book a virtual farm tour or have a goat with an edible message appear on a call.

One of the goats on the farm.

“I’m on the phone all day and people are just in hysterics because they’ve sneaked a goat into the business meeting and the boss hasn’t noticed,” McCarthy told Guardian. “It’s so ridiculous, it’s complete escapism. At the moment people just want something completely surreal so they can forget about everything else,” she added.