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Grand Teton National Park to cull non-native mountain goats

The National Park Service said the native bighorn sheep herd is at risk of local extinction.

MOOSE, Wyo. — The National Park Service (NPS) announced it will cull non-native mountain goats in Grand Teton National Park beginning Wednesday, Feb. 23.

NPS said it will cull mountain goats "using aerial methods in Grand Teton National Park in order to conserve a native and vulnerable population of Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep in the Teton Range."

"The National Park Service has a responsibility to protect native species and reduce the potential for local extinction of a native species within the park," said a NPS news release. "Mountain goats are not native to Grand Teton National Park."

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NPS said lethal removal activities will be performed by contractors with appropriate training, certifications and skills in aviation operations and the safe use of firearm protocols. The operations will likely cull 25 to 35 mountain goats.

NPS said it removed 36 mountain goats using aerial lethal means in February 2020, 43 mountain goats using qualified volunteers in Fall 2020, and an additional 20 mountain goats using qualified volunteers in Fall 2021.

Credit: Jason Clay/CPW
Mountain goat

According to NPS, although bighorn sheep have occupied the Teton Mountain Range for thousands of years, the population today is small and at risk of local extinction. NPS estimates the current bighorn sheep herd has 125 animals.

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Mountain goats were introduced into the Snake River Range in Idaho and over the years their population expanded and reached the Teton Range, numbering more than 100 animals before removal efforts were initiated in 2020, said NPS.

Mountain goats can carry bacterial diseases that are lethal to bighorn sheep. NPS officials said bighorn sheep population at Grand Teton National Park has been relatively isolated and are therefore likely "naïve" to these diseases.

Credit: Jerry Neal/CPW
Bighorn sheep

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