Goat population of 800-900 has reached a concerning level
The Langholm Initiative announced on 22nd September their intention to manage the goat population in the Tarras Valley Nature Reserve. Their position statement said:
“The 10,500 acres of the Langholm and Newcastleton hills owned by the Langholm Initiative charity are inhabited by a free roaming population of feral goats, which move frequently across multiple landholdings. As with any wild or feral grazing herbivore population in the UK – for example, deer or feral goats – in the absence of natural predation, it falls to people to manage their numbers to ensure things are kept in balance. There has always historically been population management of feral goats and deer on the moor to keep numbers at sustainable levels. Prior to our community buy-out in 2021 the 2014 records show the goat population was reduced to a target of 100 individuals.
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