The species is not autochthonous to the area, though since their introduction to Olympic National Park, have become perilously addicted to human sweat and urine.
Thus far, nearly 80 mountain goats have been airlifted out of Olympic National Park in Washington state as part of a larger program to remove the mammals from the area.
The non-native goats have been inflicting pandemonium on the park by both undermining the alpine ecosystem and bombarding visitors.
The creatures crave salt and as a result of the park not being their natural environment, there are zero salt licks for them to relish, thereby the goats have to turn to the next best option: humans.
The mountain goats have been pestering hikers because they are drawn to the salt in human sweat and urine. When the goats spot a human, they essentially see a talking, walking, salt lick.
Goats have been hindering the natural ecosystem of the national park and ambushing humans, even killing a man in 2010, which spurred concern from officials over the assertive animals.
The National Park Service, the National Forest Service and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife thus whipped up with a 3-to-5-year scheme to get rid of the goat trouble in the park. The plot is to nab roughly half of 700 of the animals in the park and securely transport them to the North Cascade mountains, where they are an indigenous species.
It seems inane to remove mountain goats from mountains — but in this case, it’s critical for the survival of both the animals themselves and the national park.
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