They shot the Goat! That's Bullsnot!

[JackOfAllTrades]

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/106312193.html

Prissy people got too damn close to a wild animal. Sorry that the man is dead, But man, any WILD animal in rut gets agressive. Hell, they only get it once or twice a year.  If I only got laid once or twice a year... Hell, I'd be pissed off too!

Crappy policy to kill a wild animal for defending his turf.

-Steve

[Curly]

What they should do is sell a bunch of permits and tags for the Park; They'd get the goats out of there and make a few bucks for the state.

[BIGINNER]

THAT IS JUST REDICULOUS. 

[bowtech721]

What they should do is sell a bunch of permits and tags for the Park; They'd get the goats out of there and make a few bucks for the state.

thats the logical answer but it will never happen....

[bobcat]

Actually I think they did the right thing by killing that goat. It had a history of being aggressive to hikers in the area and what would happen if it killed someone else? Sure enough, the National Park Service would get sued. The goats aren't native there so I really don't see what the issue is in killing one goat. The problem I did have is that they had to waste money doing a "necropsy" on it to find out if it had something wrong with it.

[JackOfAllTrades]

I don't care if that goat had a history of being agressive. He should not have been shot. I don't even think 'relocated'. I do realize that we introduced them to that area. But it's a wild animal in his own environment. Not a wild animal coming into someone's home. (No, we will never be able to hunt them like the WDFW did in the 80's.)

That's like saying that Mount Ranier is too dangerous to climb. You might hurt yourself!  And people die on it all the time. Too many damn bleedin-heart liberals making rules to protect us from ourselves. That Goat should have been given a damn medal for standing his ground!

-Steve

[Mike450r]

Actually I think they did the right thing by killing that goat. It had a history of being aggressive to hikers in the area and what would happen if it killed someone else? Sure enough, the National Park Service would get sued. The goats aren't native there so I really don't see what the issue is in killing one goat. The problem I did have is that they had to waste money doing a "necropsy" on it to find out if it had something wrong with it.

I agree.  No need to have a wild animal out there that was already aggressive and now knows he can whup a humans ass. 

[Curly]

Is it ok now to pack heat in the National Park?  I can't remember if they changed the rules.  If it is not legal to carry a handgun for protection, then I can definitely see the need to shoot the goat.  But if you can legally carry, maybe just having signs up is enough and a person better be prepared to defend himself with a handgun if necessary.

[Bob33]

It is legal to have a loaded firearm in national parks now.

[RAMSFAN]

Gotta add my to this one. I read the article over a week ago. I think it's crap they killed that goat. The article  I read said no-one saw what really happened, all they saw was the goat standing over the guy and wouldn't let anyone get next to him. Who know's, maybe the jacka@@ was provoking it with a stick or trying to go physically move it off the trail. Either way, just like the people in Yellowstone who get attacked by bears...you're in their house, respect it, respect what these animals can do. They didn't pitch a tent in your front yard and expect you to deal with it. I may sound heartless but I spend alot of time in the outdoors and have a respect for all animals out there, I'm knowingly going into their environment, I better be prepared to stand my own ground or take different
precautions to make sure I get out of their way.

[bobcat]

Seems that some of you may not know the whole story:

Hiker killed by mountain goat in Olympic Nat'l. Park
KOMO-TV STAFF and PENINSULA DAILY NEWS

PORT ANGELES -- A 63-year-old hiker died after he was gored by a mountain goat in Olympic National Park, witnesses say.

The National Park Service says Robert H. Boardman of Port Angeles was hurt Saturday as he hiked near the park's Klahhane Ridge and died hours later at a Port Angeles hospital.

Park rangers then tracked down and killed the animal, which will be analyzed by a veterinary pathologist.

"I am deeply saddened by this tragedy," said Karen Gustin, Olympic National Park superintendent. "My thoughts are with his family and friends."

Officials said this is the only known fatal attack by a mountain goat in the park's history. About 300 mountain goats live in the park.

Barb Maynes, park spokeswoman, said the ram involved in the attack was known for its aggressive behavior, and the park had been monitoring the ram for "the last several years," she said.

Family and friends say Boardman was an experienced hiker, diabetes nurse and musician who loved the Olympic Mountains.

The deadly incident happened when Boardman, his wife, Susan Chadd, and their friend, Pat Willits, had gone for a day hike on the switchback trail to Klahhane Ridge, about 17 miles south of Port Angeles.

Witnesses in the area of the attack were interviewed by the Peninsula Daily News, a KOMO News partner, and gave this account of the deadly encounter:

The threesome had stopped for lunch at an overlook when a goat appeared and moved toward them, said Jessica Baccus, who arrived on the scene at about 1:20 p.m. Saturday.

Baccus, also out for a day hike with her husband and their children, saw Willits, her longtime friend, coming up the trail.

Willits told Baccus that when the goat had begun behaving aggressively, Boardman had urged her and Chadd to leave the scene.

Then Boardman, an experienced hiker, tried to carefully shoo the ram away.

Willits told Baccus that although Boardman tried also to leave, the goat attacked him, goring him in the thigh.

"Nobody saw what actually happened. They heard Bob yell," Baccus said.

The goat stayed, standing over Boardman, who lay on the ground bleeding.

Bill Baccus, a park ranger not on duty but familiar with mountain goat behavior, moved forward with a safety blanket and shook it at the goat, he said.

He also pelted it with rocks, and after what seemed like a long time, "it moved away, but it stayed close by," Jessica Baccus said.

At 1:23 p.m., park rangers called the Coast Guard, while Jessica Baccus began cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Boardman.

At the same time, her husband sought to keep the goat from coming closer again, and kept other hikers away.

After receiving the call, a four-person Coast Guard helicopter crew from Port Angeles that had been headed for Neah Bay turned around, returned to Port Angeles to pick up a litter, and made it to Klahhane Ridge at 1:51 p.m., Lt. Commander Scott Sanborn said.

An emergency medical technician was lowered to administer electric shock in an attempt to revive Boardman.

He had no pulse, Sanborn said, and was lifted into the helicopter. The crew restarted CPR while in the air.

Boardman arrived at Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles at 2:47 p.m., where further efforts to revive him were unsuccessful, nursing supervisor Pattijo Hoskins said.

About an hour after the attack, rangers were able to locate the ram, which was about 8 or 9 years old.

They identified the animal after seeing blood on it, then shot and killed it.

[RAMSFAN]

Read in the middle where it says "Nobody actually saw it happen." I read the same article a week and a half ago. Obviously we know the end result but we don't know to what extent the hiker went to to "shoo" the animal. Why didn't he leave as he instructed his hiking buddies to do? I understand it appeared to be a nuisance animal, but why mess with it, leave it alone and go down another trail. Try "shooing" a rattler out of a bush and see what happens......same end result, leave the darn animal alone and get away from it!

[Curly]

I think the question that has to be asked is would the Park be liable if the goat killed another person if they did nothing about the goat? 

[bobcat]

I read another article about the incident but can't find it now. The guy apparently DID try to get away from the goat but it wouldn't leave him alone. It's obviously not a normal situation. This goat had become habituated to humans and wasn't scared of people. People probably feed the goats up there. That is the problem. What if they hadn't killed this goat and it killed or injured another person the next week? I just don't see any reason why they wouldn't kill it. I guess the other option would have been to close the entire area to hikers for the rest of the year.

[JackOfAllTrades]

Why didn't he leave as he instructed his hiking buddies to do?

 Instead of trying to shoo it away. We'll never know the answer to that question. But I feel that was his fatal mistake. Don't shoo away an animal that has aggressive tendencies when you're not prepared to defend yourself.  This IS a tragedy, but think that much of it could have been avoided. USFS and Parks departments close trails in other states when there is Bear activity that could be dangerous to humans. This should have been done here, at least until well after the breeding season. This goat may have been aggressive at times, but I'm sure he was more intensified during rut. People should have left that area alone.

-Steve