Mountain Goat Kid Born at Woodland Park Zoo

Posted By : The Animal Facts Editorial Team

Date: July 23, 2021 8:30 pm

The mountain goat kid at the Woodland Park Zoo was born on July 16th 2021 and can now be seen at the Northern Trail habitat.

Photo Credit: John Loughlin/ Woodland Park Zoo

Woodland Park Zoo have celebrated the birth of a mountain goat kid at their Northern Trail habitat. The female kid was born to mom Atlin and dad Zeus on July 16th 2021. The pair produced another kid, Luna last spring.

At its first weigh-in the kid tipped the scales at 4.3kg (9.4lbs). Keepers and vets were also able to perform a neonatal exam on the kid.

“She appears to be healthy. Her body condition is good and she’s getting sufficient nutrition and hydration. Her mobility indicates a healthy energy level,” said Dr. Darin Collins, director of animal health at Woodland Park Zoo.

“Within minutes of being born, young goats are on their feet and are capable of climbing on steep terrain within days,” said Kevin Murphy, an animal curator at Woodland Park Zoo. “The goats’ home of craggy, sculpted cliffs at Woodland Park Zoo offers our visitors a window into the natural habitat of these nimble animals.”

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Father of the kid, Zeus was born in the wild making his genetics important to the population. “As a founder animal, his genes are very valuable. His offspring will help infuse genetic diversity into the North American zoo population,” said Murphy.

Visitors at Woodland Park Zoo can meet the newly-expanded family alongside another female, Hera in the Northern Trail. This area will soon be reimagined as the Living Northwest Trail.

Zeus and Hera came to Woodland Park Zoo in 2018 and 2019 respectively. They were being relocated from Olympic National Park where they are not native. Woodland Park Zoo provided a home for kids from the program whose parents could not be found.

Rock Mountain Goats are naturally found in southern Alaska, Canada, Washington, Idaho and Montana. Transplanted populations now live in Colorado, Oregon, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, South Dakota and Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. They are not true goats but are more closely related to antelope.

Learn more about the Woodland Park Zoo on their website – Columbus Zoo