The Talmud relates: There was a certain goat that saw a turnip on top of a clay jug [dedanna]. It climbed and went up and ate the turnip, and in doing so it broke the jug. Rava obligated the owner of the goat to pay the full cost of the damage, both for the turnip and for the jug. The Talmud explains: What is the reason that he held the owner fully liable for the clay jug as well as for the turnip? After all, breaking jugs is not the typical behavior of a goat. The Talmud answers: Since it is typical for the goat to eat the turnip, it is also typical for it to climb and go up in order to get it. Consequently, breaking the vessel is categorized as Eating.
אמר אילפא: בהמה ברשות הרבים, ופשטה צוארה ואכלה מעל גבי חברתה – חייבת. מאי טעמא? גבי חברתה – כחצר הניזק דמי.
§ Ilfa says: If a domesticated animal was in the public domain, and it stretched out its neck and ate from a sack of produce that was loaded on the back of another animal, its owner is liable to pay the full cost of the damage. The Talmud asks: What is the reason for this? The Talmud explains: The back of the other animal is considered like the courtyard of the injured party, and for this reason the owner of the animal is liable for damage classified as Eating there.
The Talmud suggests: Let us say that the following baraita supports his opinion (Tosefta 1:7): If a person was standing in the public domain, and his basket containing food was slung behind his back, and an animal stretched out its neck and ate from it, its owner is liable. The Talmud rejects this: This baraita does not support Ilfa’s opinion, because one could explain that the case in that baraita is as Rava says in a different situation: The ruling is stated with regard to a jumping animal; here also it can be suggested that the ruling of the baraita is stated with regard to a jumping animal, and since the animal engaged in atypical behavior it is classified as a case of Goring as opposed to a case of Eating. For damage classified as Goring, the owner of the animal is liable for his animal’s actions in the public domain, although he pays only half the cost of the damage.