Bilberry goat

The Bilberry goat (Irish: Fiaghabhar na bhFraochán) is a breed of feral goat (Capra aegagrus hircus) which is believed to have lived in one herd on Bilberry Rock in Waterford City in the south of Ireland for hundreds of years.

[1] Unlike any other breed found in Ireland, the Bilberry herd is thought to be related to Pashmina, Maltese or Cashmere goats.

[2] A group of volunteers formed the Bilberry Goat Heritage Trust in 2000 to protect and support the herd.

The 14-acre (5.7 ha) piece of land where they graze used to be a commonage but was sold to a developer who wanted to build houses in the whole area.

[7][8] The feral goat is not a protected species and Bilberry Rock is not a Natural Heritage Area under the Wildlife Act 2000.

A big dirty goat with long curly horns rests in the long grass on top of a hill
Bilberry goat at rest in the winter morning sun.
A wild goat with huge horns walks through the grass on a winter morning.
A Bilberry goat forages around in the morning
A row of newly built yellow houses seen at a slightly off angle through a construction site fence.
Example of 2009 housing development just beyond the habitat of the goats
A big shaggy goat with long horns eats its grass on top of a hillside in view of several dual carriageways.
The goats overlook the main roads and the river Suir