Coillte plans cull of up to 80 wild mountain goats

Coillte is planning to kill up to 80 wild mountain goats in Connemara.

The national forestry agency says it plans to cull a “huge herd” of feral goats that are “running riot” at Coillte-owned Drumsnav Forest, between Cornamona and Mám.

The company had planned to begin a seasonal culling last Saturday, December 3, but it did not go ahead following concerns expressed by some local residents.

Coillte said it is now liaising with the local community in relation to its plans.

Sile Murphy, of Q4 PR, a Dublin based media relations company hired by Coillte, said the planned cull was no different to a rabbit cull. Unlike killing deer, a licence to cull goats was not necessary, she said.

“There are hundreds of them all over the country, in Kerry and in Cork. They are wild feral goats and they are causing a huge problem in Connemara. They are running riot . . . twelve farmers in the area have said they want the herd culled,” she said.

Ms Murphy explained that a large area of woodland at Drumsnav has been felled but the goats were preventing replanting. They were also impacting on privately owned lands.

“Farmers and Coillte can’t grow anything . . . in the felled area, the goats are eating all the saplings. You can’t grow anything,” she said.

In a statement, Coillte said: “The presence of feral goats exerts a detrimental influence on a locality, particularly on agriculture, forestry and conservation habitats.  In Drumsnav Forest, between Cornamona and Mám the current feral goat population is now estimated to be between 60 and 80 and this large herd is causing substantial damage to both public and private lands in the area.”

In October of this year, it erected a stock fence around its land at Drumsnav, but this was having a “limited effectiveness”, and was “effectively transferring the problem of the herd to neighbouring lands and landowners”.

Coillte added: “While feral goats are not protected by any wildlife legislation Coillte understand that feral goat populations should be managed in a manner that is safe, legal, humane and ethically responsible and have engaged with the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), their own forestry team and affected landowners in order to find a suitable solution.

Coillte proposed a seasonal cull of the majority of the herd in Drumsnav and this was communicated to the local community and the Gardaí in the region. Coillte is continuing to engage with the community, affected landowners and local groups on this proposal and other proposals for the management of the herd.”

Ms Murphy said Coillte was open to suggestions on how best to deal with the issue, including alternatives to culling. “Something has to be done,” she insisted.

She said there was no obligation to inform the public of plans for a cull but residents in the area had been advised in advance.

A letter circulated in November, and titled ‘Culling of Goats’, Coillte informed residents of its plans.

“Coillte will shortly commence the replanting of the local Drumsnav wood and to prepare for these works, plan to remove the wild goat population from the site.

“The presence of these goats will be detrimental to establishment of the newly planted trees, which we are obliged to establish by the Dept of Agriculture. If you own the goats, please remove as we intend to start culling on December 3rd, 2016,” the letter read.

Ms Murphy says it was “never the intention to kill all the goats on Saturday”, however she confirmed it was the intention to begin culling on that date.

She said she did not know what would happen to the culled animals but assured they would be killed humanely.