It's similar, but not quite equivalent.

The fox is malicious. It knows it will destroy the property, whereas the goat is happily oblivious to the destruction it brings.

> is not just incompetent, but where he will actually cause damage - for instance because he has ulterior motives.

That made me think it was more. And anyway, as much as the fox does with chickens, the goat knows it will set about to kill and eat plants. There's no real reason to call the fox knowingly malicious and the goat not.

>There's no real reason to call the fox knowingly malicious and the goat not.

I think we imagine foxes to have a level of cunning that a placid goat lacks.

Goats are anything but placid. They’re tricksters and bullies. They won’t hesitate to charge you from behind and knock you down. They will also happily chew on people’s clothing and long hair. Goats are jerks! They’re also just really funny and lovable.

Rascality and loveability are intertwined and inseparable

And thank goodness for that, otherwise I would be completely insufferable ;-)

Ha, you have not worked with goats before, have you?

Even some sheep like to sneak up and attack from behind. Goats even more so..

But sure most goats lack that bravery, but some have it and the cunning to attack and get to places they are not supposed to be.

Touché, I have zero experience of goats. Thanks for putting me right!

While the fox features in a larger variety of animistic stories, the goat is not without its own set of parables.

Only because their prey has a nervous system

In Hungarian, we mix the two of yours: Goat guarding the cabbage.

In Finland we have almost exactly the same: Goat guarding the gabbage patch.

And to the right, we say "Let the wolf guard the sheep" :)

That seems to imply maliciousness on the fox‘ side. The goat is merely ignorant.

Some goats are extremely malicious.

Goats are fundamental anarchists. They are not evil, they just have a chaotic energy beyond comprehension.

Yeah, you ever look at their evil little eyes. If that isn’t maliciousness distilled…

And yet in this corner of India, some butchers blindfold goats since they can't proceed while looking them in their cute eyes.

In fact that is why we call lucifer the goat-man, the joke in the tv series lucifer reason aside.

Or the goat is contained in too small of an area for too long. Much like an inexperienced person without supervision...

Norwegian equivalent:

«To let the billy watch the sack of oats.»

A billy/buck goat is a male goat.

The German proverb is also about a "Bock", same word, same meaning.