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STATUS New Zealand: Rare Overseas: Nil Origin: Feral |
 Waipu goat (Photo by Dave Brown) |
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. It is believed that there are now very few left in the bush area to which they were originally confined, the main population currently being 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 it was thought that there were only seventeen Waipu goats in existence – by mid 2005 this number had fallen to six, including only one buck. Since then more have been found in the wild, and the Rare Breeds Conservation Society is currently working in conjunction with the current owner to try to establish satellite herds.
 Waipu goats (Photo by Dave Brown) |
