There are five goats who live at Backcountry Base Camp and each one has it's own unique personality! Get to know them!
Wondering how our goats are doing during social distancing? Well ... they are definitely missing out on all the attention from the kids who were supposed to be at Spring Break Camp, but our “essential” staff is making up for it when we are out there caring for the animals! Until the goats can accept visitors again, we wanted to let you get to know them a little better.
Big Mama
Big Mama, a Nigerian dwarf cross (we can’t be sure of what she’s mixed with, but my guess would be unicorn). Big Mama is the alpha of our crew. She’s making sure everyone is still getting their exercise running around the goat pen!
Burt and Fred
Burt and Fred, both Nigerian dwarf goats crossed with pygmy, have been enjoying relaxing in the sun before the craziness of summer starts! These two sure act like brothers. They nap together, play together, and sometimes get mad at each other. Burt likes adults and kids alike, but Fred definitely likes hanging out with our Eco Explorer preschool-age group. He finds them a little less intimidating!
Ginger and Lola
Ginger and Lola, who are our two Mini Mancha goats (Nigerian Dwarf crossed with LaMancha), are loving getting head scratches and playing with our other three goats! A fun fact about their breed is that they have very short outer ears (take a look at the pictures of our goats- you’ll be able to tell who Ginger and Lola apart from the others). Ginger and Lola both were somewhat reserved upon arriving at the Backcountry last summer, but Ginger, in particular, has really opened up to people. Lola is getting there, she just requires a snack or two before letting someone new approach her!
Interesting Fact About Goats
Goats do not have an upper set of teeth. If you open a goat’s mouth, you will only see teeth on their lower jaw.
Goats are ruminants. Ruminants have four stomach chambers (and they use all of them in order to digest their food!)
Goats have cloven hooves: they are split into two!
Ever notice how weird a goat’s eyes look ... with their rectangular, horizontal pupils? Well, their pupils give them a wider range of vision to see predators approaching!
By the time the world is back to normal, our goats will be ready and eager for some more interaction! Come say "Hi" at one of our Goat Hangouts.
Carly Steiger is the equine coordinator for the Backcountry Wilderness Area. Carly moved to Colorado in 2015, and is an avid animal and outdoors lover. When she’s not hiking or snowboarding, you can find her caring for her tribe of rescue animals. carly.steiger@hrcaonline.org