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STATUS New Zealand: Rare Overseas: Nil Origin: Feral |
 Waipu goat (Photo courtesy Geoff Minchin) |
Waipu Goats
A Rare Breed of Feral Origin
At Waipu, the the northern part of the North Island, New Zealand, there is a small flock of feral goats, probably the remnants of Angoras farmed in the area since the late nineteenth century. There are now none left in the bush area to which they were originally confined, but twelve does and five bucks are held by a member of the Rare Breeds Conservation Society.
These may be all the Waipu goats now remaining. It is also possible that this small population is among the purest original Angora stock left anywhere in the world, as most of the Angoras of today have been crossbred to some degree to obtain commercial animals with hybrid vigour.
In 2002 there were only seventeen Waipu goats known to be in existence – by mid 2005 this number had fallen to six, including only one buck.
