Endangered goats of Taurus Mountains saved

The number of mountain goats, which are listed as animals under the threat of extinction, are increasing. Experts predict that there are approximately 60,000 mountain goats spread all over Turkey. The mountain goats living on the foothills of the Taurus Mountains, on the other hand, are living alongside the human locals.

When they cannot find anything to eat, the mountain goats find their way into the town centers. It is forbidden to tame or hunt the goats, who steal food from the gardens of the locals in the early morning and return to their natural habitats before sunset. Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Ramazan Arslan, who lives in the area, said they are doing everything in their power to protect the mountain goats from extinction. He claimed that the goats are feeling safe in the towns as people are very careful to make the animals comfortable. "I have been living here for 50 years. Back then, we hardly saw mountain goats here. But they are breeding and feeling safe here," he added.

Assistant professor Yasin Ünal of Süleyman Demirel University, who has been working on mountain goats for nearly 20 years, said hunting mountain animals is illegal, however, professional hunters are able to hunt mountain goats during hunting season according to an annual inventory issued by the government. He claimed that the number of mountain goats are increasing thanks to the protection program and said mountain goats bore offspring in May and rarely give birth to twins or triplets.