The Bilberry goat () is a breed of

feral goat The feral goat is the domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') when it has become established in the wild. Feral goats occur in many parts of the world. Species Feral goats consist of many breeds of domestic goats, all of which stem from the wild go ...

(''Capra aegagrus hircus'') which is believed to have lived in one herd on Bilberry Rock in

Waterford City Waterford ( ) is a city in County Waterford in the south-east of Ireland. It is located within the province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford Harbour. It is the oldest Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

for hundreds of years."Between a rock and a goat's place in Waterford"
''

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'', August 2009. Unlike any other breed found in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, the Bilberry herd is thought to be related to

Pashmina Pashmina (, ) refers to, depending on the source, the cashmere wool of the Changthangi cashmere goat,Janet Rizvi: ''Pashmina: The Kashmir Shawl and Beyond''. Marg Foundation, 2009. ISBN 978-8185026909. fine Kashmiri cashmere wool,Robert R. Fran ...

Maltese Maltese may refer to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta * Maltese alphabet * Maltese cuisine * Maltese culture * Maltese language, the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people * Maltese people, people from Malta or of Maltese ...

Cashmere goat A cashmere goat is a type of goat that produces cashmere wool, the goat's fine, soft, downy, winter undercoat, in commercial quality and quantity. This undercoat grows as the days get shorter and is associated with an outer coat of coarse hair, w ...

s."Ancient goats face extinction"
''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

'', May 2005. Locals believe they came over with the

Huguenots The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

from

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over 300 years ago and have lived on Bilberry Rock ever since.Bilberry Goat Heritage Trust
, local voluntary society responsible for the care of the herd The goats are feared close to extinction; numbering only 7 in the year 2000 and 21 in 2005. A group of volunteers formed the Bilberry Goat Heritage Trust in 2000 to protect and support the herd. The population has continued to recover and reached 42 in 2008.Goats of Waterford
Heritage Week run by

Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage () is a department of the Government of Ireland. It is led by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Departmental team The official headquarters and ministerial offices ...

and

Fáilte Ireland Fáilte Ireland is the operating name of the National Tourism Development Authority of Ireland. This authority was established under the National Tourism Development Authority Act of 2003 to replace and build upon the functions of Bord Fáilte, i ...

The herd is led by a dominant nanny. Bilberry goats are large, with shaggy coats and very large horns. Two members of the British Feral Goat Society, Dr.Shirley Goodyer and Dr. Ray Werner, together with Robert-Jan Prins, a breeder of Dutch Landrace goats, reported that they were "amazed to see a primitive herd still living in the wild", and that the goats are a "unique ancient breed."

Conservation

The Bilberry Goat Trust was set up to protect these goats from extinction. The 14-acre (5.7 ha) piece of land where they graze used to be a

commonage Common land is collective land (sometimes only open to those whose nation governs the land) in which all persons have certain common rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect wood, or to cut turf for fuel. A person w ...

but was sold to a developer who wanted to build houses in the whole area. This would render the Bilberry Herd extinct and appeals were made sparking publicity. Zoning authorities decided to reduce the goats' area to . The

Irish Wildlife Trust The Irish Wildlife Trust has been a nature conservation charity and lobbyist in Ireland since 1979. It was renamed from the Irish Wildlife Federation. The head office is based in Glasnevin, in Dublin. One of the founders of the Irish Wildlife Trust ...

is actively involved in the campaign.Staggering response to ‘save the goats’ petition
,

Waterford News & Star The ''Waterford News & Star'' is a local newspaper based in the Irish city of Waterford, first published as the ''Waterford Star'' in 1848. In December 2007, it changed from a broadsheet to a tabloid. ''The Waterford News & Star'' in 2010/11 m ...

, article preserved by

Thomas Crosbie Holdings Thomas Crosbie Holdings (TCH) was a family-owned media and publishing group based in Cork, Ireland. Its largest publication was once the ''Irish Examiner'', the third largest daily broadsheet newspaper in the Republic of Ireland. History and rec ...

The feral goat is not a protected species and Bilberry Rock is not a

Natural Heritage Area Natural Heritage Area () is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in Ireland. The Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000 makes legal provision for the designation and protection of a national network of Natural Heritage Areas (NHAs). The d ...

under the

Wildlife Act 2000 Wildlife refers to undomesticated animals and uncultivated plant species which can exist in their natural habitat, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wild in an area without being introduced by humans. Wildlife was also ...

Notes

References

Bilberry Goats of Waterford

Bilberry Goats
on

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External links

The Bilberry Goat Heritage Trust website

Bilberry Goats Blog
nbsp;— ''by The Bilberry Goats Heritage Trust on

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''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bilberry Goat Conservation in the Republic of Ireland Feral goats Goat breeds originating in Ireland Goat breeds Waterford (city)