Getting your goat
In the words of the Cher song, If I could turn back time… I’d pop back and have a serious chat with Captain James Cook. I’d ask, “What were you thinking?” It might even develop into a mild rant, “On what planet were you operating and under which theory could you ever think that was a good idea?”
In 1773, while exploring the Marlborough Sounds at the northern tip of the South Island, James released two goats. If he’d released roe deer, muntjac or mouflon I’d doff my hat to his memory – but goats!
These animals quickly became feral and populations exploded in a landscape not yet acclimatised to browsing animals. Highly fertile, a nanny will have kids on the teat and a bellyful on the way, regularly producing twins or triplets. Not surprisingly, the range of feral goats expanded rapidly so that they now occupy over 14 per cent of
