PORT ANGELES, Wash. — Editor's note: The above video is from a story previously aired on KING 5 in 2018 about the birth of a mountain goat at a local zoo.
Wildlife experts successfully relocated 101 mountain goats from the Olympic National Park and Olympic National Forest in August.
The long stretch of good weather in August made it easier to capture the animals and relocate them to the North Cascades, officials said.
In addition to the 101 mountain goats released, there were seven goats that died during the capture, and four goats could not be safely captured and were lethally removed.
There were also 10 mountain goat kids transferred to area wildlife parks or zoos. A total of 16 kids have been given permanent homes in zoos since 2018.
The mountain goat relocation effort is a partnership between the National Park Service, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the USDA Forest Service to re-establish and assist in connecting depleted populations of mountain goats in the Washington Cascades while also removing non-native goats from the Olympic Mountains.
“An operation such as this is impossible without the support and participation of a large team,” said Dr. Rich Harris, a WDFW wildlife manager who specializes in mountain goats. “All have worked tirelessly to give every goat the best possible chance at a new beginning in native habitat. In future years, we hope to be able to look back with the satisfaction of knowing we helped restore this wonderful species where there are currently so few.”
There are some mountain goat populations in the North Cascades that have recovered since the 1990s, however, the species is still absent or rare in many areas. Mountain goats were introduced to the Olympics in the 1920s.
Since September 2018, a total of 275 mountain goats have been translocated.
An additional two-week capture and translocation period is planned for summer 2020.
