Missing 28-year-old donkey found dead, believed to have been killed by cougar

Goliath (chocolate donkey, in front) went missing from the Banded Peak Veterinary Hospital in Bragg Creek, Alta. (Photo courtesy Dr. Judith Samson-French)

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

Goliath was found dead and is believed to have been killed by a cougar.

He had gone missing from his longtime home at a veterinary hospital south of Calgary.

Judith Samson-French posted about Goliath's disappearance on social media Tuesday.

He was part of a five-donkey crew in residence at the Banded Peak Veterinary Hospital in Bragg Creek, Alta., for a quarter-century.

In an interview with CTV News, Samson-French said she woke up Tuesday to feed Goliath his usual breakfast of blueberry muffins and carrots, only to discover he was missing.

The other four donkeys acted as though nothing was amiss, Samson-French said.

A search of the property, which Samson-French described as a 24-acre fenced-in site, yielded no signs of Goliath – no fence breaks, no hair caught on the fence and no sign of an animal kill, although some fresh cougar poop was discovered.

A search of the adjacent property with some of the hospital's resident dogs also yielded no sign of Goliath.

The search grew.

On Wednesday afternoon, Jann Arden posted to X, "THIS IS MY VETS BELOVED DONKEY!! Please help if you know anything!!!"

Later in the day, Arden posted to X again with a tragic update:

"Update... poor Goliath was found partly buried– a cougar kill. Thanks for re tweeting this post and helping us to try and solve this sad mystery. RIP GOLIATH"

Samson-French posted to Facebook on Wednesday night, confirming the donkey's death:

"Goliath was sadly found dead with puncture wounds in his throat and 3/4 buried with soil and branches – likely a cougar kill," she wrote.

"After having enjoyed a fab life for 25 years at Banded Peak Vet Hospital, and a peaceful co-existence with predators, the decision was made in a second to move the remaining 4 donkeys, Tumbleweed, Daisy, Bluebell, and Primrose to safer grounds."