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Feral Goats (with newborn kid)
Capra aegagrus hircus
-28.9809, 151.463
Field Notes
Description:
This is the first time I have ever seen feral goats, and I certainly didn't expect to see any in such a precarious location, particularly with a newborn kid only days old. Perhaps this location was chosen as a safe haven from predators? The cliff face was steep and probably 100 metres high. I know this is an invasive species, but I adore goats and I was delighted to see them, even more so knowing they had a newborn in toe. It was struggling with the steep and rocky terrain, and it took the parents at least 30 minutes to move the kid from the cliff face to the surrounding bushland area. I was observing them from a viewing platform at the top of the cliff, and they weren't happy with my presence. The male was regularly stomping his hooves and snorting to show his displeasure at my close proximity. The domestic goat (Capra aegagrus hircus) is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. When it has become established in the wild, it is deemed "feral".
Habitat:
A steep cliff face at Glenlyon Dam. The dam and reserve are located between the towns of Stanthorpe and Texas, on the granite belt and southern downs region of QLD, adjacent to the QLD-NSW border. Surrounding area is thick native bushland and very rugged terrain.
Notes:
Feral goats are found across Australia, where they cause economic and environmental damage through overgrazing and competition with livestock and native marsupials. There is no current management policy for the control of feral goats in New South Wales, but goats are presently opportunistically mustered for slaughter. In Queensland, they are declared pests under the Rural Lands Protection Act 1985. Each Australian state has its own method for dealing with feral goats. In some areas they have become a naturalised species.
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