THE WORLD OF GOATS–GOATS OF THE WORLD By Robert L. Johnson In December, 1982, the Smithsonian magazine gave a well­written tribute, in the form of an article by Robert Wernick, to an animal that may well be Man’s oldest friend, yet one that is much­maligned, even despised, in some areas of the world today, including many parts of this country. The goat–an attractive, affectionate and very useful small ruminant–has rendered ‘uncomplaining service to mankind for many thousands of years’ in Mr. Wernick’s words. Dairy goats have passed a peak in popularity in America, and indications are that this decade­long spate of enthusiasm is starting to wane. Angora goats, which produce mohair, remain big business, particularly in the Edwards Plateau area of Texas. However, the range and intensity of opinions and feelings about goats remains a source of astonishment. In America, goats can be roughly divided into four camps: (1) the Angora (and now including Cashmere) goats, whose owners view them as a business proposition and as producing units; (2) the dairy goats, whose owners are busily engaged at present in creating another class of pedigreed, registered, show animal, with milk production a more secondary factor–a circumstance due in part to many states’ restrictions on the promotion and sale of raw milk; (3) the miniature (African Pygmy and Nigerian Dwarf) goats, which make very intelligent, responsive and affectionate pets, and (4) the great unsung world of the ‘scrub,’ ‘brush’ ‘common,’ or ‘woods’ goats–(the nomenclature depending on the locale)–the folk who keep goats of no particular ancestral distinction to clear land, as meat animals, and/or because they just like having them around. Curiously, though all these groups are dealing with breed variants of the same animal, there is for the most part very little communication between the groups; in some cases, actual antagonism. Couple this with the generally poor PR that has been the lot of the American goat from the founding of this country, and it is little wonder that the goat is often depicted as a tin­can­eating, destructive animal fit only for the veriest backwaters of civilization. It was not always so; indeed, goats supply milk and meat to a larger percentage of the world’s population than do all other farm animals combined. Man’s involvement with goats over countless millenia has, as with other types of livestock, resulted in the evolution of a great variety of goat breeds worldwide. Just as many breeds of other livestock are in danger of becoming extinct, so it is with goats, many breeds of which have lost their original habitats and/or spheres of usefulness in the face of encroaching 20th­century technology and burgeoning populations. Many breeds today are falling victim to upgrading schemes; local goats in many third­world countries are being crossbred to ‘improved’ dairy breeds exported from England, Switzerland, France, Canada, Australia, and the U.S.A. The risk of losing many native breeds is very real, and yet even the basic taxonomy of the goat family is, to date, an issue widely debated. Goats and sheep are classified in the Family Bovidae, Subfamily Caprinae, Tribe Caprini; the Genus Capra is reserved for true goats. In his valuable work Lords of the Pinnacles: Wild Goats of the World, Raul Valdez recognizes the following species of wild goats: Capra aegagrus – the Beozar goat or pasang Capra ibex – the Ibexes, with 4 subspecies Capra caucasica – the west Caucasian tur Capra cylindricornis – the east Caucasian tur Capra falconeri – the markhors, with 4 subspecies Capra pyrenaica – the Spanish wild goats, with 3 subspecies In his extremely useful and readable work Mountain Monarchs: Wild Sheep and Goats of the Himalaya, George Shaller, basically agreeing with Valdez’ species list, notes the custom of classifying the domestic goat as Capra hircus, and discusses its still­unproven origins. Capra aegagrus is thought to be the ancestor of the domestic goat, though there remains the possibility that C. falconeri, cylindricornis and/or caucasica may have been included. Seven species are easy enough to commit to memory; but when we consider breeds worldwide, the task of making sense out of the nomenclature becomes herculean, and the number and variety is quite astonishing. A lengthy book would hardly do the subject justice, and this is a bit beyond the scope of the animal magazines. However, as a point of departure for those interested in pursuing the subject, I append the following list of goat breeds. This is offered only as a check­list of breed names, with very brief commentary. Close scrutiny may reveal that some of these names may overlap. Since the list has been taken from a number of sources, including the first work devoted solely to goats, La Chevre by M. Joseph Crepin (Paris, 1903) breeds may be included that have already been lost. Additions and/or additional information would be welcomed. In this country the following goat breeds are extant: (1) The mohair goats–represented by the Angora and Cashmere goats., and novelty crosses including the Pygora, and Nigora, (2) The dairy goats–Alpines, LaManchas, Nubians, Oberhasli, Saanens, Sables, British Toggenburgs and Toggenburgs. (3) The novelty goats–the African Pygmy, Nigerian Dwarf, and the Fainting goat or ‘Tennessee Wooden­leg.’ Crosses to create new breeds exist, such as the Kinder goat, and the Dwarf Alpine. Also, Ibexes, Ibex crosses, Tur, and Markhors are to be found in zoos and on game farms. (4) The meat and brush goats–the native woods goat, the recently­imported Boer goat, and the Spanish goat. In addition, a number of other crosses have been tried, even a patented breed, the ‘NuAlpine.’ Most such crosses are the work of single or a few breeders, and they have not been given separate breed names. Such is the case abroad also; though a number of goat breeds owe their origins to deliberate and long­continued crossing. Here is our check­list of goat breeds of the world, as described in the literature to date: Abkhasian North east Turkey Abyssinian Nubian type; reddish­brown Agrigento Sicily Akyat Jaffa, Ceylon; of Burmese origin Albanian two varieties; a large ‘mountain’ type, gray or brown, and a smaller ‘plains’ variety with corkscrew horns Anatolian Black Turkey Anglo­Nubian British; from a blend of the old English goat with the Zaraibi, Chitral and Jamna Pari; the ori gin of the Nubian goat of America Angora Originated in Asia; now worldwide in distribution; produces mohair Appenzell Switzerland; a ‘white Toggenburg,’ long­coated Asmari Afghanistan. Bicolored; white face and body, black neck and shoulder; produces Cashmere Assam Hill India; usually white, long­haired Auvergne France Azerbaijan Armenia; also called Caucasian, Dagestan, Karachev and Mingrelian Baguirmi An intermediate type between the West African Dwarf (Pygmy) and the West African Long­ Legged Bahu Congo Baladi Egypt; small, lop­eared, usually black Balkan Yugoslavia, Greece, Albania; long­haired dairy and meat breed. Three varieties include the Valch, and the Capore (with corkscrew horns) Baluchi India; usually black Banat White Romania; dairy breed Barbari Pakistan; small, short­haired, variable colors; a dairy breed Bari India; usually white; dual­purpose (meat and milk) Beetal India; similar to Jamna Pari. Red or tan, usually spotted Belgian White Dairy breed produced with Saanen crosses Benadir Africa; red or black spotted, short coated. Three local varieties: Bimal, Garre and Tuni Berari India; black, dual­purpose breed Berber Africa Berry­Touraine France; possibly a variant of the French Alpine Bhuj Brazil; dairy breed Bhungri Bombay, India; meat breed Bikaneri India; black or pied breed used for meat, milk and hair Black Bengal India. There is a variety known as the Brown Bengal; small goats bred for meat and leather. Blanca Andaluza Spain; white dairy and meat breed Blanca Celtiberica Spain; white dual­purpose breed Boer South Africa Bornu White a Nigerian breed British Alpine England British Saanen England; from the Swiss Saanen and the native British goat British Toggenburg England; from the Swiss Toggenburg and the native British goat Bulgarian White a dairy breed Campine Belgium Camosciata delle Alpi Italy; dairy breed Canaria Spain; multi­colored dual­purpose breed Caninde Brazil Capore A variety of Albanian with corkscrew horns Carpathian Southeast Europe. Various colors Chamoisee Switzerland; also called Schwarzenburg­Guggisberg or Guggisberger Changra Nepal; the true Cashmere goat originally from Tibet Chapper Pakistan; usually black, meat breed Charkissar Russia; a mohair breed, gray, brown or black Charnequeira Portugal; a red­brown meat breed. Two varieties: Raiana and Algarvia Cashmere China and Mongolia; usually white Chigu India; similar to but smaller than the Gaddi; a hair, milk & meat goat Chitral India Chungwei China and Mongolia; a breed producing pashmina (Cashmere.) Also valuable for the kid pelts Corsican France; long­haired dairy breed, found in all colors Crimean Russia Criollo Spain Curaca Brazil Cutchi West India; a black dairy breed Daira Din Panah Pakistan; long black hair. Used for milk, meat, skins and hair Damani Pakistan; a black milk and meat breed Damara Africa; also called Aerero; lop­eared short­coated breed, usually white, occasionally red and white or brown and white Damascus Syria; a gray, red or brown dairy breed, long­coated. Also called Shami Deccani India; usually black; dairy breed Dole Norway; a blue pied or brown dairy breed Don Russia Fawn German Improved Germany; several variants