The traditional – and highly flammable – Christmas goat adorning IKEA in Garðabær will be surrounded by an electric fence, in the hopes of deterring would-be arsonists.
Vísir reports that Þórarinn Ævarsson, the managing director of IKEA in Iceland, has confirmed for reporters that the six-meter tall Gävle Goat – as it is known in its native Sweden – is now completely surrounded by an electric fence.
“We went to an agricultural shop, got ourselves a real horse fence, and raised it around [the goat],” he said. “We hope that the goat will be left alone.”
So far, the goat hasn’t fared too well in Iceland. It has been ripped down by high winds, and set on fire twice.
The Christmas goat, also known as the Gävle Goat, is a very recent Swedish tradition dating back to 1966. Whether it will survive another Icelandic winter remains to be seen.
Below, you can watch security footage of the 2010 goat burning:
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