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Giddy Goats in Studland
The National Trust ( http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1560436.ece ) has ordered the shooting of a herd of 18 goats that they had released on to rare heathland at Studland on the Isle of Purbeck, Dorset. The goats had been expected to graze the heath and to keep the vegetation in check but had raided nearby gardens and a golf course in spite of a 6 foot electrical fence. Heath land, if the vegetation is left unchecked, shows transition to scrubland and then on to woodland. The hoped for Benefit for the goat introduction was presumably that the animals would, by their grazing action, act as unpaid, organic lawnmowers and help maintain the heath (habitat of rare animals such as the Smooth snake and the Dartford warbler). Heath management is generally by burning (that can get out of hand) or by mechanical cutting with removal of the plant material. One might argue that the goats (fussy eaters) are simply showing foraging choices when they invade gardens and golf courses (they do not know the plants are not for them!). The Problems of such an introduction (that ought to have been recognized before the decision to release?) include the fact that goats, via their droppings, would add organic matter to the soil a fact that would not help to maintaining heathland (this depends on the soil being poor in nitrates etc). Further, the goats, if left unchecked, could breed rapidly and spread outside the area (one might then end up with problems similar to the spread of deer since hunting with dogs was banned). It is worth noting that feral goats are one of the most serious problems for endemic animals and plants in threatened islands such as Hawaii and the Galapagos. It was not a good idea to release them in to a fragile heathland environment. The problems with feral goats in Lynton and Lynmouth have been debated over several years.
The National Trust ( http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1560436.ece ) has ordered the shooting of a herd of 18 goats that they had released on to rare heathland at Studland on the Isle of Purbeck, Dorset. The goats had been expected to graze the heath and to keep the vegetation in check but had raided nearby gardens and a golf course in spite of a 6 foot electrical fence. Heath land, if the vegetation is left unchecked, shows transition to scrubland and then on to woodland. The hoped for Benefit for the goat introduction was presumably that the animals would, by their grazing action, act as unpaid, organic lawnmowers and help maintain the heath (habitat of rare animals such as the Smooth snake and the Dartford warbler). Heath management is generally by burning (that can get out of hand) or by mechanical cutting with removal of the plant material. One might argue that the goats (fussy eaters) are simply showing foraging choices when they invade gardens and golf courses (they do not know the plants are not for them!). The Problems of such an introduction (that ought to have been recognized before the decision to release?) include the fact that goats, via their droppings, would add organic matter to the soil a fact that would not help to maintaining heathland (this depends on the soil being poor in nitrates etc). Further, the goats, if left unchecked, could breed rapidly and spread outside the area (one might then end up with problems similar to the spread of deer since hunting with dogs was banned). It is worth noting that feral goats are one of the most serious problems for endemic animals and plants in threatened islands such as Hawaii and the Galapagos. It was not a good idea to release them in to a fragile heathland environment. The problems with feral goats in Lynton and Lynmouth have been debated over several years.
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