Beloved feral goats on Langholm Moor nature reserve to be culled by rewilding company

Feral goats that roam the moors near the Scottish Borders are to be culled for conservation purposes, it has been announced.

The semi-wild animals live across Langholm Moor in the Tarras Valley Nature Reserve and are believed to be descendants of abandoned or escaped livestock. For generations, they have been popular with locals and visitors alike.

But Oxygen Conservation, a company based in Exeter that has bold aims to rewild land it owns across the UK, including the two upland farms Blackburn and Hartsgarth, near Langholm, said it would reduce the feral goat numbers in the name of conservation.

A feral goat with a kid in the Tarras Valley near the town of Langholm | Katharine Hay

A spokesperson for the company said a January drone survey found there were nearly some 140 feral goats roaming the moors. The spokesperson claimed the presence of goats has a significant impact on the natural environment, and “will create incredible pressure on our wider conservation plans including both woodland and peatland restoration.”

The feral goats are popular with visitors and locals alike in the Langholm community | Katharine Hay

The team behind the community buyout of 10,500 acres of the Tarras Valley Nature Reserve (TVNR), including part of Langholm Moor, said they would not be taking part in the cull led by Oxygen Conservation.

Last year, TVNR’s reserve manager, Jenny Barlow, said the goats’ mob grazing, a natural grazing pattern, offered a mosaic landscape. She said they were looking to introduce more animals, including cows and ponies, to diversify grazing on the land they owned.

She told The Scotsman the feral goats were “certainly an attraction, and they mean a lot to people”.

Oxygen Conservation said its decision to cull the goats was a challenging, but necessary step for conservation.

It said while rehoming wild animals may seem like an alternative, “it is not feasible due to their rapid population growth and the risk of ecological damage to other habitats.”

Oxygen Conservation said the goats are destroying the surrounding habitat and the numbers have to be reduced | Katharine Hay

A statement from Oxygen Conservation read: “We wanted to take a moment to share an important update on our ongoing conservation work at Blackburn and Hartsgarth. Over the past 12-18 months, we’ve been keeping a close eye on the wild goat population across the estate.

“Surveys and data reports have confirmed that there are over 140 goats roaming the landscape and, after careful consideration, we’ve made the difficult, but necessary decision to reduce their numbers as part of our wider restoration efforts.”