Welsh mountain goats 'being forced out' by hidden-gem tourists

UNTIL the end of the 18th century, wild goats were common across parts of Wales, from Anglesey across to Wrexham.

- JAMES JOHNJO'JONES

An imperious Welsh mountain goat lords it over Y Glyn (lagoons) at Llyn Padarn, Llanberis

As well as supplying meat, milk, tallow and skins for local people, they fascinated early tourists for whom they became both a Welsh icon and, at times, a source of ridicule.

For landowners, timber was of great value, so it was hardly surprising that many disliked the pesky plantation-nibbling animals.

Tenants were banned from keeping them and Thomas Pennant wrote of a farmer who snapped off his goats’ teeth to preserve his trees.

He also suggested numbers were declining because goat-hair wigs were falling out of fashion.

Over time, people became less dependent on the goats for their survival and, as land was developed, populations dwindled still further.

For the survivors, sanctuary was found in Gwynedd’s remote mountain valleys and, more recently, in disused slate quarries.

Today the Welsh mountain goat is a seen as a magnificent, beautiful and slightly quirky addition to the heartland landscapes they've roamed since the last Ice Age nearly 10,000 years ago.

Yet old tensions remain and new ones have sprung up, not least the rise of offtrack tourism.

Watching it unfold is goat watcher John Horrigan, who runs a dedicated Facebook page celebrating the goggle-eyed animals. As he lives near the former Dinorwig slate quarry, he's well-placed to chart the impact of the heritage site’s rising popularity on the area's two herds.

"In recent years fewer old goats have been dying off because winters have been less harsh," he said.

"Those that do tend to be around 30 years old. It's led to an increase in numbers but I’d say the population here is fairly stable as a difficult winter will even things out.

"For the most part, they do little harm, content to stay up the mountain away from people. But in the last two years there’s been a dramatic change."