Beloved goat that roamed Texas mountains dies during relocation, wildlife officials say
A beloved free-range goat known as “Bob” to hikers and locals in the El Paso area died during an attempt to relocate him, Texas wildlife officials said.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said it wanted to move the goat from its home in the Franklin Mountains to a local farm to prevent the spread of disease to desert bighorn sheep, which will be reintroduced to the area in October, the El Paso Matters reported.
After numerous failed capture attempts using other methods, wildlife officials said they roped the goat Aug. 13 but its death was an “unfortunate and unintended result of the relocation effort,” KTSM reported, citing the department’s Sept. 10 news release.
The goat’s cause of death has not been reported.
Officials said Bob was at least 9 years old, but likely “significantly older,” the outlet reported.
In 2015, the TPWD identified Bob as a domestic goat that turned feral and likely escaped a farm or was intentionally set free.
Tissue samples were collected to determine if the goat carried a fatal bacterium called Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, which officials said could have put the successful establishment of the desert bighorn sheep population at risk if it were transmitted, the El Paso Times reported.
“This is really sad,” one El Paso resident said on Facebook. “I’m glad I got to see him one last time a few weeks ago.”
“So sad, I always looked forward to seeing him every day driving over Transmountain,” another commented on a post.
This story was originally published September 11, 2024 at 2:22 PM with the headline "Beloved goat that roamed Texas mountains dies during relocation, wildlife officials say."
