Wild Moment: Paul Anthony Rose
"...by all accounts, an odd fellow" - in praise of the feral goat
The feral goat is, by all accounts, an odd fellow
seen as an invasive species yet ‘naturalized’
so does that make him feel like an invader
with new lands to conquer
or like a long time resident, worthy of respect.
I like to think of him as the latter
braving the wet, wintry squelch ridden bogs of the highlands
with only a floor length coat of silken hair for protection
but armed with well set ruminant teeth
to tear at unsuspecting and defenceless mosses
and a fearsome head of horn, the better to butt you with.
How is it his fault that his ancestors were so cruelly torn
from a life of seeming mediterranean bliss,
transported to this far flung corner of the world
to serve as a source of meat and milk
yet now scorned as an unwelcome guest
in the land he thinks is home.
What was a cruel posting to a Roman guard
is not less so for a feral goat.
He has done his best in this brutal land
for 5000 years
and in just a century and a half of real freedom
has re-established a natural herd like order of things.
I salute the feral goat
as the survivor I would wish to be
and despite knowing of his problems
I quietly and subversively
root for his continued well being.
Photographs of feral goats at Dundonnell by Paul Anthony Rose