August 9, 2016
ARMY veterans are shooting horny
goats with the contraceptive pill in a bid to curb their destruction of a
protected woodland.
The 222 acre Pollochro Wood – on
the shore of Loch Lomond – is a protected area, home to an incredible mixture
of flora and fauna.
But the woods are under threat
from feral goats which destructively graze on plant life.
Now a team of ex-army
sharpshooters have been called in to administer the goats with the
contraceptive pill, in a bid to keep their numbers under control.
50 goats have been given the
chemical cocktail through a dart in an operation launched by the landowner, the
RSPB.
The drug will curb the mating
drive of the goats for three years in an attempt to keep their numbers under
control, and keep the woodland intact.
RSPB warden Fraser Lamont
oversees the woods – and regularly sees the feral goats eating young trees.
He said: “There are open areas
where older trees are dying off and nothing is coming through to take their
place.
“The goats will walk up trees to
eat the mosses and lichens some of which have taken hundreds of years to
develop.”
It is the first time the
technique has been deployed in Scotland – and it is being touted as a more
human alternative to a culling.
Dave Beaumont is the RSPB’s south
Scotland reserves manager.
He said: “The last thing we
really want to be doing as a conservation organisation is shooting things, and
trying to find a non-lethal method here has been particularly challenging.
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