Liberty Belle
Well-known member
Where is the $40,000 coming from to buy these goats and why do we need them?
Wouldn't it be cheaper and make more sense to shoot the excess mountain lions?
Colorado Mountain Goats Sent To South Dakota
(AP) PIERRE, S.D. The mountain goat population in the Black Hills has fallen to about 100 animals, and state officials plan to import goats to turn things around.
Tony Leif, a state Game, Fish and Parks Department program administrator, said up to 40 mountain goats will be captured and brought from Colorado early next month.
Leif said the mountain goat population in the Black Hills has declined since 2000.
"We're not really sure what has caused the decrease," he said.
A number of factors may be responsible, Leif added.
Changes in habitat, increased activity by humans and a surge in the mountain lion population may have contributed to the decline in mountain goats, he said.
Lack of genetic diversity could also be a factor, Leif said.
The original mountain goat herd was started from six goats imported from Alberta, Canada, he said.
"From the 1940s through 2000, we had a pretty strong population," Leif said.
The goal is to restore the Black Hills mountain goat population to a herd of about 400, he said.
The goat restoration project could cost as much as $40,000.
Safari Club International has agreed to pay for 20 radio collars at a cost of $325 each that will be put on the goats, Leif said. The collars will be used to keep track of the imported goats and provide a better estimate of the size of the entire herd, he said.
Goats that will be brought to South Dakota will be captured near Leadville, Colo., at a wilderness area that has a surplus population of the animals.
A Fairbanks, Alaska, firm has a contract to handle the capture.
Mountain Goats are sure-footed and keenly adapted to living on steep slopes. They have thick whitish coats that protect them from the cold at high altitudes. The goats typically weigh 150-200 pounds.
(© 2006 The Associated Press
October 12, 2006
http://cbs4denver.com/pets/local_story_285150459.html
Wouldn't it be cheaper and make more sense to shoot the excess mountain lions?
Colorado Mountain Goats Sent To South Dakota
(AP) PIERRE, S.D. The mountain goat population in the Black Hills has fallen to about 100 animals, and state officials plan to import goats to turn things around.
Tony Leif, a state Game, Fish and Parks Department program administrator, said up to 40 mountain goats will be captured and brought from Colorado early next month.
Leif said the mountain goat population in the Black Hills has declined since 2000.
"We're not really sure what has caused the decrease," he said.
A number of factors may be responsible, Leif added.
Changes in habitat, increased activity by humans and a surge in the mountain lion population may have contributed to the decline in mountain goats, he said.
Lack of genetic diversity could also be a factor, Leif said.
The original mountain goat herd was started from six goats imported from Alberta, Canada, he said.
"From the 1940s through 2000, we had a pretty strong population," Leif said.
The goal is to restore the Black Hills mountain goat population to a herd of about 400, he said.
The goat restoration project could cost as much as $40,000.
Safari Club International has agreed to pay for 20 radio collars at a cost of $325 each that will be put on the goats, Leif said. The collars will be used to keep track of the imported goats and provide a better estimate of the size of the entire herd, he said.
Goats that will be brought to South Dakota will be captured near Leadville, Colo., at a wilderness area that has a surplus population of the animals.
A Fairbanks, Alaska, firm has a contract to handle the capture.
Mountain Goats are sure-footed and keenly adapted to living on steep slopes. They have thick whitish coats that protect them from the cold at high altitudes. The goats typically weigh 150-200 pounds.
(© 2006 The Associated Press
October 12, 2006
http://cbs4denver.com/pets/local_story_285150459.html
Perhaps S.D. could export some mountain lions to Colorado on the back haul! 
