Hundreds of mountain goats in Olympic National Park, WA have become so addicted to the salt found in human urine and sweat that they are an aggressive menace to national park visitors, charging at hikers and trampling vegetation. They have a taste for salt and minerals in human urine, and sweat on clothes and backpacks, according to officials.
The solution to this problem? Airlift 375 of the non-native grumpy animals to more remote areas closer to their natural habitat where they will be less of a nuisance.
“Mountain goat relocation will allow these animals to reoccupy historical range areas in the Cascades and increase population viability,” US Forest Service Wildlife Biologist Jesse Plumage said in a statement.
Last Fall, teams using helicopters, tranquilizer darts, and net guns captured 115 goats during a two-week period, releasing 98 back into the wild. There are a further two operations planned this summer that will impact Olympic National Park visitors, the first is July 8-19 and the second is August 19-30.
Last year the operation saw crews capture goats from ridges and rocks within the park before being airlifted to a staging area, driven to another part of the North Cascades, and then airlifted in crates before being released back into the wild.
Goats are often blamed for environmental damage, chomping and trampling their way through sensitive vegetation. They were introduced to this area in the 1920s, before the park was established and before sweaty walkers took to strolling the hills, and their numbers have grown steadily since
Park officials urged walkers not to urinate along trails, to avoid turning paths into “long, linear salt licks” and attracting goats.
In 2010, a 63-year-old walker bled to death after being gored by a 370-pound male mountain goat. It had followed within five or six feet of him for as much as a mile, according to rangers at the time.
What’s with all the retarded femnazis in the comments??
Can I “butt” in and point out maybe they just feed the homeless in washington goat meat ! Or Oregon ?, Relocate them to Portland. Plenty of urine with all them Antifa folk pissing on everything.
And they are shooting the rest…
I understand that in Yellowstone park the officials re-introduced Wolves to control the Deer population. Wolves were wiped out by culling years as thought to be a menace. Later Deer ruined the park in many ways https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysa5OBhXz-Q (copy and watch) As the goats aren’t native to this area perhaps what they need nutritionally isn’t there for them in a natural way
They crave that mineral.
If the goal is to relocate or kill the ones that spend time on the trail, licking up salty urine (and I’m not taking issue with that goal), why are they going after goats that spend their time on inaccessible cliff faces?
Because they are not native to that mountain range, and are decimating the vegetation there because those plants are not adapted to mountain goats feasting on them.
The whole point of removing them from the park is to get rid of a non native species. The urine issue is just a tiny part, but it makes an interesting headline.
Seems to me authorities should move all the goats and then FINE the men for urinating in the park. After all, WE are the humans. It’s easier to change our behavior. Killing the goats is horrific. They didn’t cause the problem
They are only killing the ones that can’t be captured. These animals are living on sheer cliff faces and some are going to evade trappers, or hang out places where darting them with tranquilizer would cause inhumane death or injuries from falling off a cliff.
Oh yeah only men take a piss while hiking….
Go fuck yourself.
Would you fine them for sweating also? That’s the other thing the article mentions the goats were after.
Also, the goats actually kind of WERE a problem… https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/mountain-goat-relocation-begins-in-olympic-national-park/
The goats were introduced into the park decades ago and the managers have been trying to deal with their population explosion, which has caused habitat loss, erosion, and of course tragedy in 2010. As land managers, in particular, wilderness managers, invasive species have to go. This is how the park plans to restore some ecologic balance to the lands they are charged to protect (see Wilderness Act of 1964). Flying them out seemed more humane instead of shooting them all en masse. As for the salt lick blocks – cute idea, but it does nothing to reduce their population and destructive impact on sensitive high alpine vegetation. It’s hilarious, true. But there is a reason for the circus.
This feels like a comedic statement about the levels of how low men will go to be with or near women. All hail the female Master Race. All hail feminism.
what on earth does your comment have to do with goats?
Excuse me what the fuck?
As a lady your comment still freaks me out. There is no master race. Yoi aren’t better than anyone. To act like that is just as bad as the patriarchy. Get real
Ha! Love it 😉
Put down the crack pipe, Ms Lee.
Whether your comment is supporting of attacking feminism, it still has nothing to do with this article.
This whole thing feels like some obscure parody.
This whole thing tastes of devil worship. I blame that she-devil, Urinena.
They are not that bright Sarah. It’s just because it’s salty. Most animals are attracted to salty substances. Hell. Dogs and cats are known for it. So do you really think a goats going to be any smarter.
Wouldn’t it make more sense to drop some mineral licks into the areas away from the human trail use to give them the nutrients they require and stop them being a nuisance? They must be pretty desperate if they’re resorting to drinking or licking up urine traces!
you mean use some commons sense? I use to raise goats. They loved their mineral blocks. If the mountain goats are having to resort to finding minerals in urine and human sweat, then the rest of the park is in serious trouble, and that includes the deer, elk, bears, and big cats.
Absolutely agree- salt blocks away from trails is commonsense- clearly the humans involved are lacking this basic thought process!
First: Urine has very specific aromatic compounds and these are specific to species and in fact down to the individual (ask your dog)lol. The sheep become addicted to that specific aromatic profile. Salt itself has no smell, as i aim sure you are aware of. second: Placing salt licks will also attract other animals, causing disruption in the natural balance and dependence on human interaction. Third these mountain goats are not indigenous to the olympic peninsula. they are moving Back to were they came from, north cascades . They are taking them home.
They are being removed because they are not native and destroying everything, and relocated to the cascade range where they are native. The salt issue is really minor.
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/mountain-goat-relocation-begins-in-olympic-national-park/
@caesura- they ARE native. they’re not goats (Capra hircus), they’re MOUNTAIN goats (Oreamnos amaricus), a native species not closely related to domestic goats. their closest relatives are the european chamois & the asian takin, goral, & serow.
They are native to Washington state but they are not native the the Olympic peninsula, they were introduced there in the 1920s.
Yes mountain goats are native in this country. It that does not mean they are native to every area in this country. They are NOT native to Olympic natural park. They were INTRODUCED to that area about 100 years ago.
I raise goats (Boer-Nubian crosses, so, big ones) and although it would SEEM like common sense to put out goat licks, knowing my goats they would not switch over but would embrace the power of ‘and’. They would continue to menace hikers, whether or not those hikers urinated in the park (because they like sweat too, remember?) AND take advantage of any salt licks around. It’s not always ‘desperation’ that drives a goat to do something. My goats are not ‘desperately’ hungry when they topple my fence to get at my apple trees. They see it, they smell it, they want it, they take it. Thankfully my buck (240 pounds of him) is relatively gentle, but he sees nothing wrong with pushing past me or through me to get at what he wants, so it pays to respect the power of the animal at all times and stay out of his way when it’s time to grain, or hay, or whatever. (He and I do have a bit of fun playing tug-of-war with various tools and things I use in the yard, but this isn’t something I encourage, since it’s potentially dangerous. It’s only pure luck that it hasn’t turned into a hazard!) In this case, respecting the power of the animal means relocating them so that they don’t kill anyone else or create such an impact on the region, which includes competing with our native animals. Their time in the park has run its course. Time for them to go.
they’re not goats (Capra hrcus), they’re MOUNTAIN goats (Oreamnos americanus), a native species only distantly related to domestic goats & sheep.
Again, not native to that area spuds.
They’re native to North America, but not that mountain range. The alpine vegetation is not adapted to their pressure and they were introduced by humans.