SILVERHILL, Ala. — Gustav “Clifford” Utter likes his goats. The small herd keeps the 84-year-old Utter’s Silverhill property clear of weeds and shrubs. They provide him with amusement and entertainment. Think of them as weed-eaters with hooves and personalities.

Until a couple of weeks ago.

It seems that some way, some how five young goats, kids, ranging in age from five to eight weeks old have vanished from Utter’s fenced land.

“My goats are just pets,” said Utter. He’s thought of some possible scenarios for the kids’ disappearance, but isn’t sure what happened.

“One of the nanny goats (one of the missing kids’ mothers) bleated and bleated for her kid until Sunday,” said Utter.

It’s not like Utter keeps his goats hidden.

“If you drive by (Highway 104) you can see them. I go to the Senior Citizens Center in Robertsdale on Wednesdays, and when I came back, they were gone.”

While the kids have been away from their mothers for a while, Utter is hopeful the mothers will accept the babies if they are returned. He’s hoping the goats have been taken as a prank and not for any other purpose. He says he will probably replace the kids if they don’t come back. But, he’s not sure where he can find young goats.

Utter’s roots in the area run deep. He counts Oscar Johnson, founder of Silverhill, as an ancestor.

Utter, a Robertsdale High graduate, let the area as a young man to help with family farms in Minnesota. From there, Utter entered the Army and saw combat in Europe during World War II.

“I ended up in the United States,” aid Utter. He says his unit was going to “China, Burma, and India.”

But Utter didn’t get to make that trip. A routine medical exam determined that he had a case of tuberculosis and it was off to a sanatorium for him.

He returned to Alabama and graduated from Auburn University in 1952.

Afterward, he went to Port Canaveral, Fla., with his wife, Hazel, as a United States Department of Agriculture inspector.

“I was checking ships for fruit and meat,” said Utter. “I was on call 24 hours a day.”

Utter and his now late wife moved back to the area, on acearage near his family, in 1988. He joined the Silverhill Volunteer Fire Department and has been with that organization for 20 years.

“I got the goats not quite a year before I retired,” said Utter. “I built fences, and they helped clean up the lot. My brother lives nearby and he watched them.”

The herd is what Utter calls “mixed breed, and at one time, he had as many as 36 goats keeping his and adjacent family property cleaned up.

Hurricane Ivan ended that.

“The storm took down trees,” said Utter. The goats stayed in their shed, and Utter remembers maneuvering around to get at the goats after the storm. After that, he decided to let his herd dwindle down to its present size.

“I seldom have to feed them,” said Utter. “They usually get what they need from the yard.”

But when Utter does come into the yard, the goats look up. They know a soft touch when they see one, and they know that more often than not, Utter has treats like corn and other grains for them.

“Sometimes they are right at the gate, and they won’t let me in,” smiled Utter. “They’re right there, waiting for me.”