The Bilberry Goats Of Waterford City

While driving up to Dublin last week, I listened to a fascinating program on RTE about the Bilberry Goats of Waterford City. The herd of some 28 wild goats in Waterford is the last of their species left in the world. The shaggy-haired creatures grazing on a patch of grass in the heart of the city are unlike any other known breed, say experts. The ancient herd, which has only five females, may face extinction, unless there are efforts to protect them and increase their numbers, they say. The Bilberry goat herd, named after the cliff-top area of the city where it lives, is believed to have arrived with the Huguenots 300 years ago. The goats, which are unlike any other Irish or British breeds, may be related to Maltese or Cashmere goats. Ancestors of local people always remembered them as children, where they were known as the French Goats. Martin Doyle, the secretary of the Irish Society for the Welfare and Preservation of the Wild Goats of Ireland, said: “They are the last of their kind and they are very vulnerable. They got lost in a time warp. Experts who came in recently from Germany, Holland and the UK believe they came here from Northern Europe with the Huguenots.”
The hardy wild goats are bigger than domestic goats. A report by 21 European goat experts, entitled The Goats of Bilberry Rock Waterford City, said they were “amazed to see a primitive herd still living in the wild”.
Robert-Jan Prins, from the Dutch Landrace Goat Breeders’ Association, which published the report, said the goats were a “unique ancient breed”.
The society is trying to get the land where they graze, which is currently zoned for low-density housing, turned into a protected area for these prehistoric animals. The children in the local area all have their own pet names for goats, which are quite friendly, unless they are protecting their kids. Female visitors shouldn't get too close, because as you can see from the pictures, they are quite horny.

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