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The Goat Thread

The GPS will more likely direct the poor goats over a cxliff.


Goats are wearing GPS devices in a trial of a new grazing scheme at a nature reserve in Northumberland.

Bluebell, Lily and Hazel are wandering Northumberland Wildlife Trust's 185-hectare East Chevington site.
Each goat wears a collar with a tracking system inside, with an alert to have them stop at boundaries and not cross into areas they should not go.
The trust said the method was humane, with staff checking on the goats' welfare twice a day.
The alert comes in the form of a noise and for the animals to associate it with the boundaries, they have spent three weeks in a training paddock with farmer Dave Wilde on his farm in Ponteland.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-62447910
 
As glaciers retreat, goats and sheep fight it out for dwindling resources.

In one corner, there is the agile climber with steak-knife-like horns. In the other is America’s largest wild sheep.

They are locked in one-sided combat in the mountains of the US West, scientists have found, in a battle over resources uncovered by the region’s vanishing glaciers.

In study sites across a 1,500-mile span of the Rocky Mountains, scientists have documented mountain goats and bighorn sheep competing over mineral deposits among the rocks, at elevations of up to 14,000 feet.


These contests, never previously outlined in detail, show that two of the US’s heftiest native mammals are involved in a struggle that may be influenced by the climate crisis, as the mountains’ snow and ice rapidly dwindle. Conflict between such species “may be reflective of climate degradation coupled with the changing nature of coveted resources,” the new study states.

Joel Berger, lead author of the research and senior scientist at the Wildlife Conservation Society and Colorado State University, says he was “flabbergasted” to see the number of skirmishes between the two ungulate species, with the mountain goats appearing to have the upper hand, or hoof. Of the observed battles, the goats triumphed 98 percent of the time, clearly making them the superior mountain brawler.

https://www.wired.com/story/goats-and-sheep-are-brawling-in-the-rockies-blame-glacial-melt/
 
Is this a good idea? The goats in the image below look as if they are plotting an attack on the beach.

A herd of 50 goats that graze steep cliffs of a seaside resort is set to double in size.

Ten goats were first brought in as an alternative to manage the vast area of cliffside vegetation in Bournemouth by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council in 2009. Now a breeding project is under way to expand the herd to 100 to graze the area between West Cliff to Southbourne.

Funding has come from a government agreement with Natural England.


Bournemouth clifftop goat
IMAGE SOURCE, BOURNEMOUTH GOATS. Image caption, The goats have become something of a tourist attraction and even have their own social media accounts

The council and volunteer grazier, Mark Jackson, look after the herd, which includes several different breeds - Kashmir, Boer a South African breed, and feral goats.

He said: "Yes it's a lot of goats but with the amount of grazing they've got to do it's a fair number - we're going to breed at a nice slow steady pace."

The mums-to-be are taken off the clifftop about a month before they are due to birth and taken to a nearby small holding.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-dorset-63740399
 
Anyone want to adopt a goat?

The local mayor of a remote Italian island overrun with wild goats is offering to give them away.

The idea came to Riccardo Gullo after a census estimated their population to be six times the human population of 100.

Experts at navigating the steep landscape of Alicudi, in the Aeolian archipelago north of Sicily, the goats have become a problem as they damage gardens and allotments.

Applications to "adopt a goat" must be received by 10 April.

Wild goats have lived in Alicudi for years, and previously spent most of their time on the volcanic island's rugged mountains and cliffs.

But as their population has grown, they have started to venture down into residential areas where, as well as ruining gardens, they have reportedly also knocked down parts of walls, and even entered people's homes.

Known as browsers - animals that eat away at leaves and fruits growing at head-height - goats are prone to destroying vegetation if left unattended.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68731003
 
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