Movement Patterns of Feral Goats in a Semi-Arid Woodland in Eastern Australia.

Abstract

The movement patterns of ten feral goats fitted with radio transmitters were examined over a 20 month period in a semi-arid woodland of western New South Wales. The mean distance between locations (fixes) was 3.1 km at 42 day intervals. The mean interfix distance for male goats was 1.1 km greater than for females. The mean home range for the five males was 29.4 km2 and 10.9 km2 for the five females (95% convex polygon). The movement patterns of feral goats in this woodland system were predictable. Goats usually moved small distances and remained close to intermittent lakes and creeks with abundant tree and shrub cover. Goats commercially harvested in this area were likely to have come from local populations living in an area of 15-35 km2, an area encompassed by 1-2 paddocks on a single property.