Old Irish goats on the Hill of Howth in Co Dublin are part of a programme to graze fire breaks. Photograph: Padraic Fogarty
On arrival to the visitor centre at the Burren National Park in Kilfenora, Co Clare, the most obvious display is that of a stuffed goat. It’s a striking animal, with long, curved horns and mottled coat, head slightly tilted, throwing a sceptical stare at the onlooker.
The Burren was once known for its brown bears, the bones of which are found from caves in the region, but which are now absent, along with all the other large, wild animals that would have roamed this landscape, including wolves, wild boar and red deer.
Maybe for this reason, the feral goat, a domestic animal now roaming the Irish countryside, fills a gap left behind by these truly wild animals. The National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS) seem to think so, using the goats on displays of the park’s flora and fauna.
The NPWS says that “unlike other areas of the country” the goats “benefit most Burren habitats since they help keep rank (old growth) grasses and hazel scrub at bay”.
However, as indiscriminate herbivores, feral goats will eat pretty much anything in front of them.
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