Bavaria

Domestic Goats Worthy of Protection

Not only is the wild Bezoar goat endangered, but so are many of its domestic goat breed descendants. The reason is that they have simply gone out of fashion because their “performance” does not meet high human standards. These endangered domestic goat breeds are supported by the Academy in an education project in the Höllohe Zoo.

Stefan Jahreiss, the manager of the zoo, reports:

“The goat education project was brought to life in cooperation with the veterinarian Prof. Dr. Henning Wiesner. As board member of the Academy for the Protection of Zoo Animals and Wildlife, he promised zoological and financial support for the project, bringing rare goat breeds from around Germany to the zoo.

The goats will now be introduced to visitors. Specially designed information panels explain how the individual goat breeds, through specific selection, evolved from the original ancestral goat, and how the animals vary in looks and behaviour. The breeds include extremely rare domestic animals, which are only bred and to be seen in a few locations in the country. Through the new project, Höllohe contributes to presenting a facet of breed diversity and sensitizes people to the conservation of these extraordinary animals.

Within a short period of time, our goats have become the favourites among zoo visitors.”