A baby goat was found dead with its neck snapped in North Brookfield on Monday, the same day two other dead goats with broken necks were found in neighboring West Brookfield, police said

The North Brookfield animal, a baby Nigerian dwarf goat, was discovered Monday by a School Street man who “found one of his goats deceased inside of a fenced area,’’ according to a North Brookfield police Facebook post.

The man had last seen the goat about 2 p.m. It had appeared to be uninjured at that time. The man said he believed the animal suffered a broken neck, but he could not determine how it was broken. Due to the absence of “suspicious circumstances’’ at the time, the man disposed of the animal, police said.

On Wednesday, the man heard a report of the two baby goats that had been found dead with their necks snapped on the back porch of their owner’s home in West Brookfield, police said. He then contacted North Brookfield police.

The West Brookfield goats were likely killed after 7 p.m. Sunday and were not killed by another animal.

“There’s no question it was intentional,’’ West Brookfield Sergeant Matthew Letendre said.

Nigerian dwarf goats are notable for their smaller size than many standard breeds of goats, and therefore are commonly kept as pets or used in petting zoos and other attractions, according to Joanne Karohl, a Nigerian dwarf goat breeder at Dragonfly Farm in Harvard. Nigerian dwarves typically weigh 75 to 90 pounds and stand 20 to 24 inches tall, and are “colorful and friendly,’’ Karohl said.

The North and West Brookfield police departments are now jointly investigating the killings, which occurred only a few miles apart. North Brookfield police asked anyone with information to contact Officer Chris Donais at 508-867-0206.

Ben Thompson can be reached at ben.thompson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @Globe_Thompson