Talk:Feral goats in Australia

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History[edit]

Feral goats came to Australia with the first fleet in 1788.' What, the first fleet brought non-tame goats with them and immediately let them go? I find that hard to believe. Surely thy brought domestic goats with them, some of which subsequently became feral.

During the 19th Century, the goats were set free by mariners as a measure to ensure emergency supplies of food. So the feral goats arrived with the first fleet, were kept in cages for 20+ years in the Port Jackson/Sydney colonies, and then released by mariners for emergency food? That sounds ridiculous. Why would that be a better option than simply asking people to farm the goats? And why would mariners need an emergency food supply more than everyone else in the colony? We really need to check the source here and write what the source actually says.

However, most feral goat populations have a domestic origin. By definition, all feral populations of all species have a domestic origin. That is what feral means.Mark Marathon (talk) 06:20, 25 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]