Don't Pet the Fancy Cows With Goats Again

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National park service just launched a campaign in july featuring the slogan, don't pet the fluffy cows with goats again. One of our recommendations from a group of us who talked about this was, if you ever feel threatened, ye, you can throw stones, be loud, but obviously first step is just gi yo, yelm to the goats. Giveen their space, right? Because many a hiker and climber friend have told them that goats lick pa to get their necessary salt content. And that mountain goats in certain areas, popular peaks in the pacific northwest, have come to associate humans with the pa. Is this true? Yes.

Mountain goats are not goats. And there’s only one living species, Oreamnos americanus. WHAT?? Montana-based wildlife biologist and Oreamnologist Julie Cunningham counts mountain goats from helicopters, traps and tests them for science, and spends even her off days searching for them on mountaintops. We cover their population, sensual mating habits, the feel of their wool, pungent goatwhiff, tips for hikers and how these animals defy gravity scaling near-vertical cliffs. Oh also, why your favorite trail might be delicious.

Julie Cunningham’s bio

A donation was made to the Rocky Mountain Goat Alliance: GoatAlliance.org

You may also enjoy: Cervidology (DEER), Bovine Neuropathology (HEADBUTTING), Neuropathology (CONCUSSIONS), Cryoseismology (ICEQUAKES), Bryology (MOSS), Phenology (SEASONS)

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Sound editing by Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media

Transcripts by Emily White of The Wordary