Mountain Goat

At the Preserve

Our collection:

4	.	16	.	0
Male		Female		Young

Our Habitat:

24.4

Acres

Photos from the Preserve:

Articles from the Preserve:

Meet Elsa the Mountain Goat

by Lindsay Caskenette | 2024-04-12 | Animal Care, Community Contribution, Mountain Goat, Rehabilitation | 6 Comments

1 minute read - Meet Elsa, the mountain goat! She came from Northern Lights Wildlife Society in Smithers B.C located within The Witset First Nation is a First Nations band government of the Wet'suwet'en people of Witset, British Columbia, Canada. She was brought there...

What’s That Scat?

by Sophia Slater | 2021-07-23 | Canada Lynx, Caribou, Moose, Mountain Goat, Muskox, Red Fox, Thinhorn Sheep, Wildlife, Wood Bison | 2 Comments

4 minute read. As we are out enjoying some of the many trails the Yukon has to offer, we often have to watch our step to make sure we’re not putting our boots in something smelly! These unexpected trail obstacles can be great indicators of whose habitat we are walking...

Mountain Slopes – Yukon Wildlife Preserve

by Doug Caldwell | 2020-09-05 | Mountain Goat, Red Fox, Thinhorn Sheep | 0 Comments

11 min read - The Yukon Wildlife Preserve features eleven iconic northern animal species, but if you look closely at each of the three primary habitats on the Preserve you’ll see many more species than “only” eleven. The three primary habitats include: grasslands,...

Doctor visit: Mountain Goats!

by Julie Kerr | 2020-05-14 | Animal Care, Mountain Goat | 2 Comments

8 min read - During daily rounds to check on the health of the residents, Animal Care staff notice that the eldest male goat, Geronimo, appears to have a cracked hoof. Staff veterinarian Dr. Maria Hallock is concerned he may have cracked it close to the blood supply....

Cliff Hanger at Dawn!

by Julie Kerr | 2020-01-17 | Mountain Goat, Wildlife | 2 Comments

The rising sun bathes the cliffs in the rosy hues of dawn. In a manner I can only describe as precarious, I watch, heart in mouth, as the billy goat stands on his back feet while on a sheer cliff slope. His front legs dangle loose in the air, all the better to...

Phenology of Molt in Mountain Goats

by Dr. Katarzyna Nowak | 2018-12-29 | Mountain Goat, Research | 0 Comments

Nov 12, 2020 Update This original Yukon Wildlife Preserve blog article was written while the research was still in progress in 2018. Several articles have come out since then, with more insight on the outcomes of this research project: 2020 Ecology and Evolution Blog...

General Overviews

Mineral lick use by GPS-collard mountain goats in SE BC – from Western North American Naturalist.

This study monitored radio collared mountain goats in order to determine the location and frequency of use of mineral licks in British Columbia. Mineral licks are a very important part of mountain goat diet and this study allowed researchers to locate previously unknown mineral licks, how far mountain goats would travel to reach them, when they were used, and if they were used by male or female goats.

Maternal defensive behavior of mountain goats against predation by Golden Eagles – from Western North American Naturalist.

Adult mountain goats don’t have to worry themselves with many threats other than gravity and other goats but golden eagles are a going concern for young mountain goat kids.

A descriptive analysis of the climbing mechanics of a mountain goat – by R.T. Lewinson and D.J. Stefanyshyn published in Zoology:

Mountain goats are some of the finest rock climbers found in nature. This article uses a small sample size to take an introductory look at the locomotion that lends itself to these masterful climbing skills.

Yukon Specific Research

Molt Phenology in Mountain Goats – K. Nowak, J. Berger, et al.

This project examined the phenology (study of biological life cycles) of mountain goats’ winter coat molt in relation to changing climate. This project included data collection at the Yukon Wildlife Preserve.

2020 Ecology and Evolution Blog Article: Mountain goats’ winter coats: What can people-powered research tell us about patterns and phenology of molt?
2020 Published Paper: Using community photography to investigate phenology: A case study of coat molt in the mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus) with missing data
2018 Research Report: Molt Phenology in the Mountain Goat (deep dive on the process and data with lots of great pics and graphs)
2018 YWP Blog Article: Phenology of Molt in Mountain Goats (Read how the Preserve’s goats played an important role in the photo sampling and control population.)

Contribute a Resource

Do you have resources (especially Yukon specific ones) we should know about? Send us a link and summary/blurb to add to this page.

867-456-7300
867-456-7400
info@yukonwildlife.ca

Yukon Wildlife Preserve
Box 20191
Whitehorse, Yukon
Y1A 7A2