Bulgarian screw-horn longhaired goat

Capra aegagrus hircus

Two Bulgarian goats in the zoo Hellabrunn sit next to each other. IUCN Red List endangerment category: Endangered
  • Family
    Bovids (Bovidae)
  • Weight
    ♀ 45 – 50 kg, ♂ 60 – 70 kg

Frugal eaters

Goats are very hardy animals that require little cost to maintain. They are still popular in regions where self-suffi ciency remains a way of life, supplying milk, meat and wool. In times when food (herbs, grasses, and leaves) is scarce, many farmers offer their goats kitchen waste (vegetable and fruit). However feeding goats waste over a long period may cause the animals to become ill.

Breed out of love

The Bulgarian screw-horn longhaired goat is nowadays only bred by hobby breeders. This is because today’s farmers prefer high-yielding single-purpose breeds, i.e. breeds that are exclusively reared either for their meat or milk production.The Bulgarian goat is also ideal for sustainable landscaping: some of the goat residents at Hellabrunn Zoo have been temporarily relocated to a nature park on the outskirts of Leipzig to help prevent overgrowth.

There are only about 100 individuals left in the goat’s native homeland of Bulgaria, of which only a few are purebred.

Distribution 

Distribution map screw-horn longhaired goat