We live in the foothills of Moelwyn Bach with a family of wild mountain goats as neighbours. They come and go as they please, typically high up in the summer and on the lower slopes in winter.
It's not just a herd, it's more of a family operating in an organised way with a patriarchal leader and collective protection of the youngsters. If you get too close one of the seniors will lead the family away whilst one of the tough-looking males gets between you and the rest.
They are black and white in colour with shaggy coats and magnificent horns that curve back over their heads. Great for fighting and invaluable neck and back protection if you miss your footing and roly-poly down the mountain. Those with particularly long horns put them to good use as back-scratchers.
Just recently a kid was born and we managed to film it during its first few days. It looked just like a spring lamb, but a bit more rugged. The mother was very attentive and stood guard each time her youngster had a nap.
Goats eat just about anything and know few obstacles. Ordinary fences are mere hurdle practice and stone walls provide good views. Alas the combination of wire on top of a nearby stone wall proved the downfall of one of the young goats. She managed to trap her rear foot, garrotted between two strands of wire that cut in to her hoof as she struggled to break free.
She was hanging upside down with her head at the foot of the wall. By the time we found her the RSPCA thought she must have been like that for a couple of days. We cut her down with wire cutters and carried her to the Land Rover, she had lost the use of both back legs.
The vet provided a course of treatment which the farmer applied. The farmer put her in a small paddock near the farmhouse at the foot of the hill and fed and looked after her for many weeks. Slowly but surely she began to respond and managed to stand shakily on three legs and eventually on all four. Every day the rest of the goat family would come down the mountain and call out to her until one day she managed to escape the paddock.
For a long while she could be seen limping and struggling to keep up with the rest, but now she is back to 100 per cent fitness and expecting a kid. The chief billy or leader of the pack is paying her very close attention.
This billy is an outsider and newcomer to the family. He arrived last autumn and usurped the previous leader in the October rutting. The previous leader had a wonderful pair of horns whereas the new leader has but one and a half horns.
What happens to ousted billies? Some time ago I found a goat's horn lying in the grass and shortly after came across a one-horned billy lying disconsolately on his own half-way up the mountain. No friends and no purpose in life.
But our old billy has been sighted several times and seems to be adapting to a new way of life. No longer welcome with his family, he struck up a relationship with the children at Plas Dol y Moch, an ancient house owned by Coventry City Council and run as a training centre for the children of Coventry. The billy has taken up residence on the fire escapes and on occasion has been found in the corridors of the Plas. Seemingly the children have been feeding him sweets.
