Tuesday, January 5, 2016. In London, a graphic designer got bored with his human life and became the “Goat Man”; by using a special hand and feet prosthesis and also having undergone some neurological changes to be slightly more goat-like. Thomas Thwaites, 34 years old; is the man who decided to be a goat after feeling depressed for his cheerless life, the human complexities and all efforts made to make money. The idea was forged in his head, watching his niece’s dog, an animal that was “happy, happy to be alive”; he said to the AFP.
His search to have a pleasant holiday from humanity, were with the support of the foundation “Wellcome Trust” in its headquarters in London; dedicated to health issues. Thomas had to spend about nine months studying to become a goat and to approach them as much as possible; he even thought of the possibility of implanting a false additional stomach that could help in the digestion of grass, but renounces the idea fearing he would suffer health problems.
The “goat man”, decided to join the herd as well as possible; He was subjected to an unusual treatment, in which he receives transcranial magnetic stimulation -a noninvasive form of stimulation of cerebral cortex -; used for studies and research in neuroscience and treatment of various disorders and neuropsychiatric disorders. However, Thomas used it to cause temporary damage to his brain, blocking its ability to speak temporarily and feel more connected to the other goats in the herd.
The young man lived like a goat in a herd in the Swiss Alps for three days, just walking on his artificial limbs and imitating the walk of goats, something that shouldn’t be easy at all. In this regard, Thwaites said “the hardest part was resting my weight on my arms for so long, we are not made for that.”
Thomas has written a book about his wonderful experience entitled “Goat Man: How I Holiday from Being Human” in Spanish “El hombre cabra: unas vacaciones de la humanidad”; which will be published in April this year. In the beginning, he had thought of entering the elephants’ world; but changed his mind as they are very similar to people, and because “they can become depressed and go crazy.”
ALFA