A Judas goat is a trained goat used at a slaughterhouse and in general animal herding. The Judas goat is trained to associate with sheep or cattle, leading them to a specific destination. In stockyards, a Judas goat will lead sheep to slaughter, while its own life is spared. Judas goats are also used to lead other animals to specific pens and onto trucks. They have fallen out of use in recent times, but can still be found in various smaller slaughterhouses in some parts of the world.
The term is a reference to the biblical character Judas Iscariot.
Famous quotes containing the words judas and/or goat:
“You show me a politician with his heels ten feet in the air, and by Judas priest, I’ll show you an honest politician.”
—Dalton Trumbo (1905–1976)
“There are some things, my dear Fisher, which do not bear much looking into. You undoubtedly have heard of the Siberian goat herder who tried to discover the true nature of the sun. He stared up at the heavenly body until it made him blind. There are many things of this sort, including love and death.”
—Stanley Kubrick (b. 1928)