Authorities offer safety tips for dogs after several gored by goats on trails

31 August 2023 , 20:35

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Mountain goats have been goring to death dogs on a Utah trail as experts offer tips (Image: Getty Images)

Dogs have been turning up dead in a Utah national park — gored to death or pushed off cliffs by an unsuspecting perpetrator: mountain goats.

Over the past several weeks, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has reported several instances of the "aggressive" mountain dwellers attacking dogs that were left to run amok on the trails of Mount Timpanogos without leashes, prompting the government organisation to issue a list of safety tips for those who choose to recreate in the goats' natural habitat.

Approximately 1,500 mountain goats live across the state of Utah, the organisation's website states, and they're often found in areas with high elevations like Mount Timpanogos. The males are known to get aggressive during mountain goat breeding season, which generally occurs around November, and the females can get nasty when they have babies, which often arrive in late May.

Goats can get aggressive during mating season or when they have their young around (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

In the summer months, like August, the goats may often be found grazing with their young on the mountain trails and can become aggressive and territorial when they see hikers or their animals like dogs.

So, if a hiker encounters a mountain goat, what should they do? And how can they protect their dogs?

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The Division of Wildlife Resources compiled the following list:

• Give goats at least 150 feet (45.7 metres) of space
• Turn around if a goat is coming toward you
• Keep dogs leashed and away from the goats, who might find them as a threat
• Wave your arms and make loud noises if a goat does approach you to try and scare it away
• Be weary of trailhead signs or other warnings of aggressive goats
• Never feed goats or let them lick you

Goats are often found in inaccessible terrain, but sometimes, they venture down to where humans venture onto trails (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The organisation added that getting to close to the animals can cause them to charge, which can lead to goring. And letting dogs attack or run after wildlife is against state law.

"Be aware of your surroundings, stay alert and don't put yourself in those situations," said Once-In-A-Lifetime Species Coordinator Rusty Robinson. "If you need to turn around and cut your hike short, do it."

This month, there have been at least three confirmed deaths, reported KUTV, and one occurred the day a Manti couple, Tyler and Whitney Albee, ventured up the Mount Timpanogos trail last weekend. Manti is a small city in Utah about 125 miles (201km) south of Salt Lake City.

Goats can also attack when threatened (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The couple had ventured onto the trail with their own dog when they passed another couple who had their black lab off leash. That dog later died in a goat attack.

The Albees told the local news outlet that they had opted to keep their yellow lab on a leash and that they were thankful they did. That decision resulted from a warning from a trail worker.

"She stopped us and said, 'Keep your dog on a leash. Last two weeks, two dogs have been killed. One was gored, and the other one was pushed off a cliff,'" Whitney said. "So, we went in knowing that we need to keep our dog on the whole time."

Park officials are recommending not bringing dogs onto the trails at all, however, as there are still chances that tragedy can strike.

Jeremiah Hassel