There was an article today in the San Diego Union Tribune on mountain goats and Olympic National Park. Blew me away, as it was contrary to everything I believed.
I once saw a herd of mountain goats while hiking in Olympic National Park. One of my favorite wilderness memories, they seemed so natural, so beautiful and majestic, so wild. And so safe.
Turns out they are not native to the Olympic Peninsula, they were imported in the 1920's. They have been a problem for many years, bad for the environment and dangerous for hikers. A mountain goat killed a hiker in 2010. Not by butting him off a cliff, by goring him in the leg. Severed arteries, he bled to death. Seems the mountain goats don't keep their distance, they are attracted by the salt and other minerals that cling to us, our clothing, and our gear.
There have been removal programs, but they aren't very cooperative, and keep reproducing. Now the park service is considering complete elimination from the park, by removal to the North Cascades followed by shooting the ones that escape removal.
You learn something new every day. I wonder if this was well known to our Pacific Northwest friends.