Feral goat

[1] The feral goat is seen in Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, Ireland, Hawaii, Brazil, Honduras, Lebanon, Panama, Madagascar, the Comoros, Mauritius, Réunion, New Guinea, the Galápagos Islands, Cuba, and in many other parts of the world.

[2][3] When feral goats reach large populations in habitats which are not adapted to them, they may become an invasive species with serious negative effects, such as removing native scrub, trees, and other vegetation.

Feral goats are sometimes used for conservation grazing, to control the spread of undesirable scrub or weeds in open natural habitats such as chalk grassland and heathland.

[citation needed] Goats are herbivores whose diet consists of plant materials such as trees, shrubs, and grasses.

Due to their stomachs, which is four-chambered, goats have the capacity to eat many plants that are typically toxic to other animals.

In addition to these species, other animals such as bobcats and birds of prey, such as eagles, have been noted to hunt, kill and eat feral goats.

They were originally used as a food source but eventually they began being a threat to domestic goats and native tree species.

[citation needed] Feral goats were brought to Ireland over 4,000 years ago for their meat, milk, and hair.

[9] Feral goats are common in many areas of the Irish west coast including Counties Mayo, Donegal, and Kerry.

They are destructive when it comes to native species because they mainly eat grass, shrubs, and young trees, but as of now there is no plan to eradicate them from the country.

Out of the three, the Arapawa goat's populations are too small for it to be any threat at all to the Arapaoa Island that it resides on, with them today being noted to be critically endangered.

This problem culminated in 14% of New Zealand now being populated by feral goats, all of which have begun to destroy the natural florae of the islands.

[13] One of the most acute United States feral goat issues arose on San Clemente Island off the coast of southern California.

[citation needed] Feral goats in any country cause many long-term problems pertaining to the native vegetation.

These goats also affect native animal species because they are using a multitude of resources, causing an increased amount of competition.