Goats feel climate change effects

GOATS, the first hoofed animals to be domesticated, are remarkable creatures. 

There are almost a thousand million of them throughout the world today. The wild ancestors of most farm animals are extinct, but the original goat survives in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Males are known as ‘bucks’, females are ‘nannies’, while the word ‘kid’ has ‘gone viral’. Do children resemble young goats? You must be ‘kidding’!

Chamois live in the Alps, Pyrenees, Carpathians and several other ranges. There are two closely related species. Both are difficult to find and approach, the steep mountain terrain in which they live is so inaccessible. The Alpine one is about three quarters of metre tall, with a brown coat and short slightly-curved horns. Bucks lead solitary lives, competing fiercely for females in the mating season. The nannies and kids live in herds, young males being expelled at the age of three or four. The chamois’ main enemies are wolves and lynxes. Avalanches are a threat and kids can be taken by large birds of prey. Maximum life expectancy is about 17 years.