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Feral Goats (Capra hircus)

By Mark Walker

Feral Goats were not originally native in Britain, but were introduced by man. Some people claim that Feral Goats possess Stone Age ancestry, their herds having been established by the early Britain’s. However, it seems more likely that feral goat herds were established later, either through accidental escapees or by deliberate introduction. At the time of the highland clearances, many goats may have been let free to fend for themselves, and thus formed new feral herds. Feral Goats are now only found in remote and isolated places in Britain. There are small populations in Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. In Scotland they are found on the Isle of Rum, Moffat, the Mull of Kintyre, Galloway, Loch Lomond and in various other locations. In Wales they are found in Snowdonia. In England they are found on Lundy Island. In Ireland they occur along the western coast. They live in mountainous areas such as coastal cliffs. These rocky areas offer suitable terrain and shelter for goats and a minimum of disturbance from man.

Goats dislike rain and bad weather and will seek shelter to avoid these poor conditions. While deer populations have risen considerably in recent years, feral goat numbers have declined or at best stayed steady. This could possibly be due to the changing climate where they live. Rainfall seems to be becoming more common which does not suit feral goats and could be preventing their numbers from increasing. Feral goats can have a varied appearance. They tend to have long shaggy coats and can vary in colour from white to dark brown or black. Sometimes they can be piebald. Feral goats are roughly half the size of domesticated goats, the males weighing between 30 and 45kgs, and the females between 25 and 35kgs. Both sexes possess horns which grow continuously. A ram’s horn may reach 76cm in length. The goat’s long horns help to distinguish it from sheep which tend to have more coiled shorter horns.

The herds disperse in late autumn. The does give birth in winter and at first the kid stays hidden and the mother returns to it 2 or 3 times each day. A high proportion of kids die due to exposure, predation is not a great problem as the kids are normally too large and in inaccessible places for predators. In summer the herd forms again. At rutting males spar with each other to decide who will mate. The rut normally starts in mid August but is later further south. Feral goats were much more common in the past than they are now. They were often considered a pest in certain areas, which led to their decline in populations. Their hair can be made into clothing. Feral goats live for about 5 years. Feral goats are also found in other parts of the world. There are large populations in New Zealand and Australia. There is even a feral goat population in Hawaii, which was introduced by Captain Cook.

Questions and Answers

Where are Feral Goats found? Feral Goats live in rocky areas of North and West Britain. They live on rocky slopes, moors and cliff tops where there is less competition from other species such as sheep and deer. Populations are small and widely isolated from each other. They live in small herds

Feral Goats are found in Western Ireland, The Scottish Highlands, and North Wales. They are also found in many areas of Europe such as Crete.

Where did they come from? Man has kept goats since the Stone age, and early settlers to Britain brought goats with them. Some of these escaped and founded wild populations of feral goats. However most populations probably originate from more recent times. For example during the Highland clearances after 1745, many goats were probably freed when their owners were forced off the land. A detailed genetic study would be interesting to see exactly when these wild goats originated, and how much they have diverged from there domestic cousins What do Feral goats look like? Because the goats have different origins and live in isolated and non interbreeding groups there is considerable variation in their appearance. However they tend to have long shaggy hair. They are much smaller than domestic goats, roughly half the size. Both sexes possess horns that grow continuously. It is easy to tell wild sheep from wild goats, as wild goats have straighter horns, while the sheep's curls more. What do Feral Goats eat? Like most goat species feral goats prefer to browse than to graze. They will eat shrubs, bushes, leaves and gorse. This diet prevents competition with deer which prefer more grassy diets. Do they have territories? Feral goats tend to stick to their local area, rarely moving further afield. I have been interested in goats from a young age, from the age of 10 I really wanted my own toggenburg! I would have liked to work with goats. In 2002 a studentship to study feral goats on Rum became available with Prof Robin Dunbar at Liverpool University. Although I had a lot of experience with Chamois and Sheep I was unlucky enough not to get to the interview stage. While preparing in case I did get an interview I  looked for information about feral goats, but could not find any, so decided to write this site for other people who are interested in scottish wildlife. As far as I know this is the only website giving information about Scottish Feral Goats, and there have been well over 15,000 visitors since 2002. I hope it helps other people who are interested in goats too!

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