For almost two years, a small herd of thuringian goats has been living on the peninsula next to the lake Berzdofer. The Görlitz Zoo has now issued a press release on how this project between the zoo and us is developing. We pass this on here:
Protection through use
It has a chocolate-brown coat, light stripes on the face and white feet: thuringian goat. It is a native breed, classed as an endangered species. Thuringian goats are considered to be particularly robust and resistant, making them ideal for use in landscape maintenance….
To help protect this special breed of goat, we have created a place for them to graze along the shores of the Berzdorfer lake. KommWohnen was able to provide a suitable area and took over the daily care of the herd of goats, which now numbers 35 animals.
The Nature Protection Park Görlitz-Zgorzelec provides veterinary care, actively helps especially during the mating season, keeps herd books and organizes the accomodation of the adult animals.
Other animals also have something from it
Goats live in a “matriarchal” herd structure, so males leave the herd when they reach sexual maturity. Surplus goats that cannot be placed in other breeding groups are slaughtered for feeding. This ensures that carnivores from the Görlitz’s Zoo receive feed from sustainable, animal-friendly free-range breeding.
Goats make an important contribution to the conservation of local biotope and species. As so-called selectors, they eat not only grasses, but also woody plants and even thorny shrubs such as tarnine, hawthorn or roses. In this way, they preserve an open landscape on which different species of birds, reptiles and insects depend.
Only outside the zoo possible
“We are delighted to be able to implement this project together with KommWohnen. Only thanks to the extensive pasture outside the zoo is it possible to manage such a large group of goats with relatively little effort. In this way, enough young animals are born each year to ensure the long-term conservation of the endangered goat breed,” explains Steffi Späthe, inspector at Görlitz Zoo.
You can get to know this goats from Thuringia face-to-face at the Görlitz Nature Conservation Animal Park or observe them on a walk along the Berzdorf lake as they work to protect species near the harbour.
Fotos: ©Tierpark, KommWohnen