Elleda Wilson: Goat encounter
Nov. 3—Recently The Daily News of Longview, Washington, reported a sighting of a mountain goat near Castle Rock, Washington, caught on a trail camera by Steve Driscoll Sr.
When shown the screenshot, wildlife biologist Eric Holman, at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, said goat sightings aren't "all that uncommon" away from the mountains. "It's unusual, but not quite crazy," he noted. Actually, it is probably not common, since according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's website, only "between 2,400 and 3,200 mountain goats are estimated to live in Washington."
Encounters with mountain goats are not uncommon, however, in their natural habitat. On Aug. 30, 2020, Fox News posted on Facebook that a group of goats had to be airlifted to a new home because they were harassing hikers on the Olympic Peninsula.
There are no natural salt licks there, so the goats started relying on human sweat and/or urine for their salt intake, and began stalking people. A hiker was fatally gored in 2010. "They will follow you on the trail until you stop and urinate," Dr. Patti Happe of Olympic National Park said ... and yet it took them 10 years to airlift the salt-hungry goats out of there.
Oreamnos americanus "is the only genus and species of its kind in the world," Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said. In case you're wondering, the domestic goat is not a close cousin. (Photo: Steve Driscoll Sr./TDN and Fox News)
